I'm not a big fan of author notes but I would like to thank you all for the insane support. The story has only been online for a couple of days and we're already ranked #2 in the elizabetholssn tag??? Woa. Thank you, truly. Hope you enjoy the story :)

School ends in 2 minutes and Casey hasn't even acknowledged me today. As Miss Brook is ending her lesson, I see Casey packing her bag.

The second the class is dismissed, Casey stands up and walks past me as if I don't exist. As if we didn't have a perfect day at the Zoo yesterday. That is if you don't count the last part.

When all kids have left the classroom, Miss Brook closes the door and looks at me with a big grin on her face. "Miss Olsen, whatever you did with Casey, I'd like to give you my compliments."

"It seems like you put her in her place, I've never seen her so focused on her work as she was today." She smiles proudly.

"Uh thank you Miss Brook. I- I appreciate it." I mumble, not being able to hide the voice crack. She seems to notice since she walks up to me with a sympathetic smile. "I know it can be hard to be the bad guy, but unfortunately we can't always be good guys."

It takes everything in me to not roll my eyes at her. She has no clue what happened and still decided that it must be the right thing, because Casey seemed upset.

"Thank you for the advice." I mumble before sitting down to grade last weeks tests. A sad smile forms on my lips when I have to grade Casey's test. It's clear that she struggled, but she made the most out of it and there's a beautiful drawing of an elephant on the back.

• • •

After a quick stop at the local book- and the grocery store, I find myself standing still in front of Casey's house. Minutes go by as I wait in front of the door, my mind running a hundred mile a minute.

I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do. Maybe it's best if I just give her some space.

I'm about to turn around and walk away when the front door opens. "What do you want?" Casey's grandmother says annoyed while she looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced Mia, but I was hoping to talk to Casey?" I say softly after clearing my throat.

"Mia?" She asks confused, as if she forgot her own name. "Oh yeah, come in." She mumbles as she motions for me to get inside. I notice that the news is on the TV. "She's in her room." Mia mumbles as she unpauses the news, sitting down in her chair.

I hestitantly walk through the hallway, knocking on the first door I see. It doesn't take long for Casey to open the door with a wide smile, but it drops as soon as she sees me. She's about to throw the door into my face but I manage to place my foot in front of it.

"Casey, could I please just come in?" I plead her. She seems to think about it, so I shake the bags in my hands. "I come bearing presents." I smile. Seconds later she nods slowly as she motions for me to come on in. Even though she seems extremely mature for her age, it makes me happy to see her acting like a regular 6-year-old: Easy to bribe with presents.

She sits down on her bed and I follow her example. We sit there in awkward silence before I sigh. "Casey can you please let me know what is going on?" I ask desperately, but she just shrugs.

"Okay how about we try this." I say carefully as I stand up. She looks at me intently as I take a deep breath. "I, Lizzie." I say as I point to myself.

"Feel..." I think for a second before putting on an overly dramatic confused face. Casey slowly stands up and mimics me. "Confused. Yes I feel confused." I state, making her nod proudly.

She thinks for a second, but decides to stand still. "How do you feel?" I ask her softly. It doesn't take long for her to point at herself. "You, Casey." I say as she nods. "Feels..."

I watch as she dramatically reaches for her heart as if she just got shot. Where did she even learn that?

"Hurt?" I question her, making her nod. "Okay so you feel hurt and I feel confused." I summon up.

"I'm confused because I don't know what I did wrong." I tell her honestly. "Why do you feel hurt?"

It takes her a while to come up with something, but seconds after a lightbulb seemed to turn on she storms out of the room. "Wait Casey please don't leave." I yell after her.

I'm about to follow her when she walks back into the room proudly, pointing at me.

"Me?" I ask her. I quickly put the puzzle pieces together. "You don't want me to leave?" I ask her surprised. She simply shrugs.

I crouch down in front of her, waiting for her to look at me before I speak. "I promise you I won't leave." I smile weakly. But she just shakes her head.

Lies. We had two teachers last year who also followed a so called internship and they both left. Not to mention what happened at the Zoo yesterday.

I sit down angrily on the bed, watching Lizzie as she slowly sits next to me. She reaches into the bag she brought with her and hands me a notebook. "Why don't you draw it? It doesn't have to be one drawing." She tells me.

I'm not sure what she means by it, but all I want to do is draw my thoughts. Get them on paper, out of my head. So I draw a door before showing it to Lizzie. "Door?" She asks carefully, but I shake my head. That's not the exact word I'm looking for. I hear her hum in thought before getting the correct answer. "Exit."

I turn the page and draw a simple head with long hair and beautiful green eyes. Lizzie giggles as I show it to her. "Me." She states confidently.

I nod as I turn the page, drawing myself. "You." She says. I nod, showing her all the drawings. "Exit, Lizzie, Casey." She says before thinking.

"I won't leave you Casey." She says seriously. I stand up, my head hurting from everything that is going on. Out of frustration, I throw my sketchbook away, hitting a photo frame. I cover my mouth instantly as the glass shatters on the ground.

The second I did it, regret took over my body. Lizzie looks completely shocked at me, lost for words. I turn to look at the bedroom door, silently praying that it stays closed. But those prayers never get answered.

The door flies open a few moments later. My grandmother looks calmly between me and Lizzie. Lizzie looks between me and my grandmother before defending me. "She didn't mean to-" She starts, but my grandmother interrupts her.

"I think you should leave." She says to Lizzie coldly. Lizzie looks at her with wide eyes, but my grandmother steps away from the door and motions for her to leave.

Without any more words, Lizzie packs her things and leaves my room. I'm internally pleading her not to go, fighting the tears in my eyes. But I know shouting after her will only make things worse.

So I watch her exit the house. I hear my grandmother bidding her goodbyes before turning the lock on the front door.

Please Lizzie. Please come back.