"Wake up loser!" I peel my eyes open, Harvey's scream pelting my poor eardrums, disorientating me as I blink my way into consciousness. My eyes flicker over the blanket, Casey's familiar silhouette embedded beside me - a whiff of his scent still lingering as I inhale inwards. The boy in my bed...always disappearing before the sun rises.

"What the fuck Harvey, it's fucking Sunday." I yell back, his gleaming smile unfazed by my burning morning fury - there's nothing worse then being woken up. It should, and I am not exaggerating, be made punishable by death.

"It's the big game today! Aren't you coming to watch me destroy the other team with the boys?" I squint at him, confused by his undiminished excitement. My eyes roll over to the clock, glaring at the time.

"Why would I want to come watch your game? I've watched like...two...in my whole life." My phone dings, dragging my attention away - Harvey dismissing it; his eyes on the prize: football.

"Well...you don't have to come...if you don't love me...like our parents...who abandoned us at such an important and essential period in our lives. Which gave me emotional scars that I don't know if i'll ever be able to overcome." He enhances his puppy dog eyes, forcing a sigh out of my mouth - his emotional tripwire successfully captivating me, enticed by his mention of childhood abandonment: how lovely.

"Fine. I'll be ready in 30."

"Yay!" His scream of excitement fills the room - reminiscent of childhood memories. I roll my eyes sarcastically as he runs downstairs, his holler echoing from the hallway. The dinging of my phone pierces through his gleeful excitement - finally succeeding in luring my attention.

Hey Sunshine! There's a football game on today.

I'll pick you up in half n hour xo

My gaze roams over the texts; processing; comprehending; pondering.

"Harvey. I don't need a ride to the game!" I yell into the hallway - finally rolling out of bed to get ready. His murmured response reverberates from downstairs, the whirring of his fruit blender just reaching my ears as I enter into the en suite.

Slowly the layers fall off of my body, collecting on the floor as I stare at my naked frame in the mirror - dissecting the flaws off of me as my fingers roam admiringly; affectionately - caressing my soft skin.

My fingers trace upwards, unintentionally wrapping around my lips - silencing my voice; muffling it. I freeze - the noise of the shower stifled by my mind as it flashbacks to last night; recalling everything from Elliot's constricting grasp to Casey's warm embrace.

My trance is shattered by my phone, vibrating on the bathroom sink - retrieving me from my running thoughts.

I stare at my phone - bewildered at the fact that it's making noise; that someone's actually ringing me. Who the heck would be calling me?

"Hello?" I query into the phone - my voice floating off into the ears of a potentially unknown stranger.

"Hey Danté." My heart slows down as Casey's words greet my lips, relieved and calmed by his soft tone.

"Oh it's you." I cringe at my response, my words unable to replicate my internal contentment - my face physically screwing up in retaliation to my tone.

"You sound disappointed?"

"Oh...no...I'm not. Well I kind of was disappointed when I woke up...and you weren't there...again..." He chuckles in response, lifting the weight of the conversation.

"Yeah. I guess it's my super power." I let my giggle respond, unable to conjure up any vocabulary to capture my disappointment. "And plus...I really didn't want to get bashed by my best friend for sleeping in the same bed as his younger brother...especially on the day of our big game."

"Good idea I guess - we can't have your pretty face getting mucked up." I clench my eyes - regretting my unintentional compliment - boosting his already lofty ego.

"So you think my face is pretty huh?" His tone now cocky - the fluidity reminiscent of our old conversations; when we first started talking. When I first met the boy in my bed.

"Shut up idiot." I dodge the question, my jarring nickname for him like water of a duck's back, unable to penetrate his armour-clad confidence.

"So? Are you gonna come watch the game today? For your brother and the school of course...not for me."

"Yeah. I'll be there...I'm coming with...yeah, I'll be there."

"Okay. Cool. I'll see you at the game - I'll be searching the bleachers for you." The mirror reveals the blush spreading across my cheeks, his tone charming me exactly in the same way it did when I first met him.

"Okay. I'll see you there."

"Sweet.Cool.Love you.Bye." The words spew out of his mouth before he hangs up the phone - stifling me; robbing me of anytime to reply - his words hitting me like the force of a thousands bricks.

"I love you too." I whisper back into the phone, no response coming back from the dead phone line.

**********

Elliot's car rolls into view through the blinds, the scattered screens and distance unable to obscure his beaming smile.

"Who's that?" Panic shudders through my body as Harvey's voice announces itself right beside my ear, followed by his annoyingly loud chewing.

"It's no one. Got to go. See you at the game. Bye!" I leave him dumbfounded, his peanut brain unable to process my statement before I'm out the door - his curious gaze following me outside as he hops into his on car - en route to the game.

"Hey Sunshine. You look cute this morning." Elliot says as he leans in and pecks my cheeks, his lips igniting a tingling fire. "Well you actually look cute every morning." His flirtation lovingly greets my ears - his compliments overly generous; perhaps compensating?

"I know I do. I had to look good for the game today. Speaking of; why are we even going?" I ponder as we start heading off to the game.

"Well. I always go to watch the game with the boys, and, I wanted to bring you - since we're like a thing now yaknow?" I don't know. I don't know at all. Are we a thing?

My ears are unable to comprehend any of the following conversation, surprised by his label - are we a thing? When did we decide that?

My mental battle is halted as we pull into the parking lot, simultaneously pulling me out of my tumultuous thought process - the cheering crowd already audible from the parking lot.

His hand wraps around mine as we walk into the stadium.

"I've just gotta go toilet real quick. I'll meet you at our seats okay?" I nod in agreement as I watch him go in the opposite direction of the bathrooms - disbanding the thought as I make my way up onto the bleachers - catching the team as they start warming up. I watch over them, trying to identify everyone through their uniforms - failing pathetically.

"DANTÉ! HEY!" My eyes snap towards the origin of the sound, honing in on two uniformed bodies - their helmets hiding their identities. I squint as my brother's blond locks falls out of his helmet as he slips it over his head - waving at me giddily like a little girl. Naw. But who's that beside him? Is that Casey? Waving to me in public in front of everyone?

Like dominoes, all the helmets start to come on; one last helmeted figure left. Slowly he slips it off, his brown skin glistening in the sunshine; it's Andre. I'm glad he's here - but he's not who I was looking for.

Where the fuck is Casey?

A/N

Hi! How are you all? :D

Sorry it took so long! Tbh, I've just been watching movies and sleeping and I really enjoyed it! xD

Leave your theories in the comments about where Casey is, and what he's doing; and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

- YOP