Work It Out

[Phoebe]

I hope you all like my new story!

 

Title of story:  Work It Out

Type of Fic:  Short/Medium Fiction

BTTB Rating: G/T

Main Characters: Casey, Sasha and others

Genre:  Drama and Family, Romance, Friendship, Teen

Does it contains spoilers: Nope

Warnings:  No

Story beginning read-proofed?: No

Summary: Casey is sick of relying on his brothers for everything so he quits Angelo's and moves into a caravan. The only downside is one of his new co-workers hates him

Chapter One

 

 “Good joke mate, real funny. Go clear that table will ya?” Heath said shaking his head laughing. Casey gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. It more than irked him that Heath and Brax never took what he said seriously, he wasn’t five anymore. He had his own plans and goals and they were treated like some sort of bad joke by everyone in the family, in Casey’s opinion he’s the only Braxton with his head screwed on right. Casey shakes his head and walks out from behind the bar.
“Heath, I’m being serious. I’m out of high school now I shouldn’t be depending on you and Brax to provide for me anymore. I’m quitting and I’m moving out and there is absolutely nothing you and Brax and can do to stop me, okay?” Casey said as he sat at the bar stool since he no longer had to work. Heath sighed and shook his head at him. Casey didn’t care whether his brothers thought this was a good idea or not, he thought that it was a good idea and that’s all that mattered. Casey had to learn to leave the nest and fly one day and it was a good time to do so. Heath turned around and got a beer out of the fridge and slid it across to Casey with ease. Casey smiled, he knew Heath had surrendered.
“Where are you planning on living anyway Mr Independent?” Heath asked with a smirk. If Casey was being honest he’d say that he had absolutely no clue as to where he would call home from the minute he left the house that he had been in for what felt like such a long time. Casey wasn’t going to give Heath the satisfaction of shutting Casey down, not this time.
“I’ve talked to Mr Stewart about renting a van, shouldn’t be too bad,” Casey said taking a swig from the bottle. Without realising it Casey had finally decided on what he was doing. He would go and speak to slightly grumpy old man about living in one of those caravans that Casey always thought would fall over if the wind picked up too much. He would do anything he could to get some freedom because he was sick of not having any. All his life Casey was told what to do by either his brothers or his parents and he refused to let it go on, he wasn't a little kid anymore and if it took something drastic like moving out and getting a new job to show everyone that then so be it.
"I'd love to see that, I'll come and visit you when I need a laugh," Heath said laughing. Casey rolled his eyes and finished his drink off before jumping off the stool and walking out of Angelo's , ignoring Heath's calls as he jogged down the stairs. Casey walked through the surf club and started to walk home. He chose to walk along the beach for no other reason than the beach was pretty to look at. Casey stopped to take his work shoes and socks off so he could feel the sand on his feet. The sand was cold now that the sun was going down at the end of a rather long day. The beach was deserted, the late night surfers and swimmers hadn't come out yet. He looked out at the water's edge to see Dex and his Sasha walking side by side. Dex shoved Sasha lightly and she retaliated by kicking some water up at him, Casey had always wanted a brother or a sister that he could act like those two acted with. Dex saw him and waved enthusiastically, Sasha glared at Casey and grabbed Dex's arm and pulled him further down the beach so fast that Dex was tripping over his own two feet. Casey knew he deserved that, he screwed up big time with Sasha. A few months ago Sasha was pretty much in love with Casey, the head-over-heels-they're-perfect kind of love and Casey knew that and he used it to his advantage and he really shouldn't have. Things happened between the two of them and Casey ended up bailing. In the beginning Sasha was would just look at him with these big sad eyes that made him want to bundle her up in his arms and hold until she was okay again, now she looked at him like she wanted him dead. Casey didn't blame her, how could he when her anger was warranted? He wanted to be able to turn back time and take it all back and then maybe he and Sasha would have something.

 

Casey knocked on Mr Stewart's door and waited. Casey got halfway home and realised that he still had Brax to sort out and Brax wouldn't give in as easily as Heath had, Brax would do anything he could to stop Casey from leaving. Casey figured that if he already had a place to go then Brax wouldn't put up much of a fight. The door swung open and Mr Stewart stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. Casey wasn't usually the type to get nervous about things like this, he was a people person most of the time but there was something about Mr Stewart that terrified him to no end.
"What can I do for you Mr Braxton?" Mr Stewart said with a serious expression on his face. Casey smiled and prayed that Mr Stewart couldn't tell how scared he was to be talking to him.
"I'm in need of a caravan and I was hoping you could help me out," Casey said in his talking-to-adults-about-serious-things voice. Mr Stewart nods his head and beckons for Casey to follow him inside. Mr Stewart looks at the cork board where all of the caravan keys are handing on little hooks and then he pulled on key and walked out the back and into the caravan with Casey trailing behind him. Mr Stewart walked until he got to a plain white caravan. Mr Stewart turned to him with a very serious look on his face.
"Rent is weekly, I'll talk to you about costs when you get settled in," Mr Stewart said clapping Casey on the back and handing over the key before walking back to the house. Casey smiled as he unlocked his new home. It wasn't exactly what Casey imagined he'd be living in when he moved out but it was a start. Casey sat down on his new bed and leaned back. He had somewhere to go, now all he needed was a job. In Summer Bay jobs are limited, very limited. Casey figured he should apply for places that are similar to Angelo's considering he has experience in that area. Tomorrow, after he got settled in, he would go down to the diner and talk to Leah or Irene about working there. Casey had never had to apply for jobs before, his first and only job was Angelo's and Brax practically forced him to work there. Casey ran his finger's through his hair and got off the bed. He walked out of the caravan, making sure to lock it behind him. The caravan park wasn't the busiest Casey had ever seen it, it wasn't school holidays yet so families weren't about, teenagers were in school instead of spending a few days in tents away from their parents. The caravan park's residents consisted of old people who were traveling Australia and the people who had yet to find their feet yet and were desperate for a place to stay, like Casey. Casey hoped to be out of the caravan soon, he was certain that if it was a permanent position he would go insane.

 

Brax was sitting on the couch with a beer in one hand and the play station remote in the other when Casey walked in later that night. Casey didn't know what Brax knew about Casey's decision, he wouldn't put it past Heath to call up Brax and dob Casey in as soon as he left the restaurant. Casey took a seat beside Brax, Brax paused his game and turned to face Casey. Something told Casey that Brax knew and he wasn't happy about it. Brax went to speak but Casey held up his hand.
"I already have a place to stay, you can't stop me from going now," Casey said as he stood up. Brax scowled angrily, Brax reminded Casey of the hulk when he got angry. Casey wasn't going to let anyone stop him from leaving, no one. Not Brax or Heath, no one, was going to stop him from getting out of that house. Brax stood up and slammed his beer bottle down on the coffee table in front of him.
"I am your career, I can stop you," Brax said as he took a step towards Casey causing Casey to stumble backwards a little bit. Casey could smell the beer on his brother's breath and he could hear the slight slurring of his words, Brax was drunk. Casey was trying to be mad at Brax for his actions but he just couldn't, Brax had done everything for Casey and now Casey was leaving making it so Brax had no one to help anymore. It made Casey question what he had decided, but in the end he couldn't stay at the house forever just so Brax could feel like a superhero. Casey didn't need a superhero anymore, he needed to be by himself. He needed to make his own decisions instead of people making them for him. Casey needed to become an adult and do adult things like pay his own bills, get a job on his own, make dinner instead of buying it and just doing basic chores. Casey couldn't do any of those things while living with his brother's, Brax handle the bills, Heath got dinner sorted most nights and the girls did the cleaning because according to them Braxtons have a gene that makes them do everything in halves.
"I'm 18, you aren't in control of me anymore Brax. I can do what I want now and I want to move out and do everything on my own, I'm not going to feel bad about that Brax," Casey said calmly. Brax's face fell. Despite what Casey had just said pangs of guilt rippled through him, he didn't want to leave on bad terms. He wanted everyone to understand where he was coming from, he wanted them to accept that he couldn't follow them around all the time anymore and do what they tell him to do anymore. Brax cleared his throat loudly and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'll help you pack or something," Brax said quietly. Casey knew his brother wasn't a man of many words, he also knew that Brax didn't need to say a lot for his feelings to be clear. Casey walked into his bedroom not knowing whether Brax was following him or not, it didn't matter. He could pack up his whole life by himself.

 

 

[Phoebe]

Thank you everybody! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter! I hope you like this one too! it hasn't been edited I'm sorry

 

Chapter Two

 

Casey walked into the diner in his best shirt and pants, to say he felt ridiculous walking into a place like the diner in something that he only wore when the invitation said smart casual was an understatement. Casey hadn't started moving his things into the caravan, he'd never admit it to anyone but he was procrastinating because leaving that house meant much more than he had thought in the beginning. The house had so many memories that leaving felt like he was leaving the last few years of his life as well. It was like Casey thought that as soon as he left the house he wouldn't remember anything that had happened in that house, there was a lot of  things that Casey wouldn't mind forgetting but losing those wasn't worth losing the few memories that always made Casey smile. At the end of the day leaving a house didn't mean that he lost a few years worth of memories it just meant he had somewhere else to make memories. Casey looked around at everyone in the diner either eating their breakfast or serving people their breakfast and realised not one person was paying attention to him. Casey let out a breath he didn't he had been holding and walked up to the counter. Unfortunately for Casey Irene and Leah were busy making coffees and the only person available to talk to was Sasha. When Casey walked up to the counter her smile went from a genuine one to the kind that the fifteen year olds that work at Kmart wear so they don't get fired for being unapproachable. Casey cleared his throat and tightened his grip on his resume.
"I was wondering if I could talk to either Leah or Irene about a job here?" Casey said as politely as he could. Sasha's fake smile fell from her face but she quickly composed herself. Casey hadn't thought about Sasha when he decided on his next career move but the way he sees it is they live in a small town there was no way she could avoid talking to him for very long. Working together isn't the most ideal situation, he'll admit that but they have to learn to get along otherwise the two of them are never going to be able to move on from what happened. Casey held out his resume to Sasha after a while of silence. "If you could just hand that to one of them for me that would be great," Casey said. Sasha took it from him and he took this as a sign for him to leave. He turned around and headed towards the door.
"Casey wait! Come back and I'll get one of them for you," Sasha called out. Casey stopped right before the door and turned back around. Sasha's mouth had pulled into a straight line and the resume was still in her hand but she held like it was going to come alive and attack her if she wasn't careful. Casey walked towards to Sasha with a smile on his face. Sasha always found new ways to surprise Casey, despite her obvious hate for him she was still willing to help him get a job, a job that requires the two of them working together. Casey went to say thank you back she just held up her hand and handed the resume back before walking up to Leah and tapping her on the shoulder. Casey watched as Sasha and Leah talked, Sasha sent the occasional look or the point of the finger towards Casey. Leah nodded her head and beckoned for Casey to go out the back of the diner. Casey had never been back there so when he walked in he was surprised at how organised it was, there was a spot for everything and signs reminding the staff of dates of important events the diner was catering, there was even sticky notes about certain customers and what they usually ask for. Casey's eyes fell on a yellow sticky note that said in big capital letters 'DO NOT LET SASHA SERVE CASEY!!!!' Casey's stomach dropped and his eyes fell to the floor. Leah cleared her throat and looked at Casey expectantly, for a moment he had forgotten why he was there in the first place.
"Sorry I didn't quite catch that," Casey said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. He knew that so far he wasn't doing well with impressing Leah so much that she immediately wants to hire him. Casey started to think of back up plans for when this interview-but-not-really-an-interview was over. He could always just go and get his job back at Angelo's or there were plenty of cafes and restaurants in Yabbie Creek that needed more helping hands. He really wanted this to work out for him though.
"I said, how come you're not working at Angelo's anymore?" Leah asked him in her serious-business voice. Outside of situations like  these  Leah was easily the most friendly and approachable person Casey had ever come across, but when it came to business she was scary, as Casey found out. Casey was hoping that Leah knew Casey well enough away from work that she would see through the obvious nervousness and see how great he could be working at the diner. Casey had spent a lot of time at Leah's house back when Ruby and Charlie lived there and he was with Ruby, hopefully Leah got to know what he was like back then.
"Oh, I quit because I want some independence away from my brothers, I've also moved out," Casey told her proudly. Leah smiled at him encouragingly The room was silent as Leah read over his resume. Casey's heart rate sped up as Leah flipped the last page over and handed it back to him. Casey prayed that his little mistake didn't muck everything up for him. Leah held out her hand with a big grin on her face.
"Welcome to The Pier Diner family Casey," Leah said happily. Casey grabbed her hand and shook it. Casey was trying not to let his excitement show too much, he didn't want to seem overly keen even though he was. He was extreme;y grateful that Leah had given him the job, she could have very well said no and told him to find somewhere else to work as she didn't think he was going to be good enough to work at the diner, but she didn't. Casey knew he was going to do well here, no matter what anybody else thought.
"Thank you so much Leah," Casey said as they walked back out into the main hub of the diner. Casey couldn't help but realise that Sasha was standing awfully close to the doorway to the kitchen area of the diner. He smiled at her but she looked away. Casey kept his eyes on her while Leah went through all of the business stuff with him, he caught her looking back at him multiple times. Casey saw this as a sign, a sign that she didn't hate him as much as she made out to.

 

Casey placed the last box into the boot of his car and closed it up. Casey didn't want the goodbye to be one of those cliches where everyone cries and they all hug before Casey drives off with some sad song playing and one lone tear rolls down his cheek, he  wanted to be able drive away with as little fuss as possible. It was times like these that Casey was glad he was a Braxton, Braxtons don't do emotional situations, they don't really do emotions at all. Casey turned around to face his three brothers, his sisters in law, his two nephews and his niece and only Darcy was crying. Bianca was clearly trying to hold back her tears but she managed to keep them at bay. Ricky was tough, she had baby Thomas in her arms so instead of looking at Casey she was focusing on Thomas' clothes. Kyle had hold of Harley and was rocking him side to side slowly. Brax and Heath stood side by side with their arms crossed over their chests. Casey cleared his throat loudly.
"Well, I'll be off, you all know where I am if you need me," Casey said before turning around to face the car. A pair of arms wrapped around his middle and he knew it was Darcy because her head sat at the middle of his back. Casey pried her arms away and turned to face her. "Darc, I'm not moving state, just a few blocks away. You're still going to see me. I promise," Casey told her. Darcy nodded her head slowly and stepped back in front of Bianca and wrapped her arms around her. Brax stepped forward with his hand extended, Casey grabbed it and the two of them did that manly hug that only lasts two seconds. Kyle shook his hand and muttered a goodbye.  Casey turned to Heath and the two of them nodded at each other. Casey got into his car and put his seat belt on. Casey had decided earlier that day that when he got in his car he wouldn't look back at them all standing there waiting for him to leave, he knew that if he did he wouldn't end up leaving. So Casey put his keys in the ignition and turned them and the car roared to life. He put the car into gear and drove away. Casey had to remind himself multiple times as he drove further and further away from his old home what he said to Darcy, he wasn't moving very far at all and he knew that he would always be welcome back there no matter what happened. Casey still couldn't help feeling like he was leaving everything behind. He drove into the caravan park and drove around until he found the caravan that Mr. Stewart had showed him the day before.  This was his new home, it was just him from then onwards. It was late afternoon and the sun had started to go down. Casey sat on the bonnet of his car and watched the sky until he could think clearly again. He found himself not thinking about the house or the family he had left but Sasha, the girl he totally ruined, standing by him today. She had been listening in on his and Leah's conversation, that could have very well been just curiosity or so she knew whether she had to find a new job or not but Casey hoped that it was because she cared. Casey's number one regret was the way he treated her, he complete disregarded her feelings because he was having a hard time. While sitting on his car that night Casey vowed that he would make things right with Sasha, whether she wanted him to or not, it was going to happen.

 

 

[Phoebe]

Thank you Kristen, Red Ranger 1, hward, Ludub, ~JarlieFanEver~, pembie and JosieTash for the comments!

I'm so sorry about the gap between updates, I have holidays soon so I should be able to get chapters up more regularly soon, for two weeks anyway! 

Enjoy!

 

Chapter Three

 

It had only been a few nights of staying at the caravan park and Casey already wanted to leave, and the caravan park wasn't even at it's busiest. The communal showers were the worst, Casey had to get up extra early the morning of his first day working at the diner just to avoid the morning shower rush. As far as the shower quality goes Casey couldn't complain considering it was a caravan park and he shouldn't be expecting the world's greatest shower. Casey turned the shower tap off once he had gotten all of the conditioner out of his hair, he dried himself off in the cubicle that was so small if Casey took one step backwards his back would be up against the cold brick wall. Casey learned that lesson the hard way. Casey struggled putting on the jeans he had picked out to wear to work because it was difficult to dry your legs properly when there wasn't enough room to move around so the materiel stuck to his legs. Casey pulled the top over his head and cringed as it stuck to him much like his jeans had. Casey sighed and collected his things and then left the toilet/shower block. He got back to his caravan and put his shampoo, conditioner and soap back where he had been keeping it since he moved into his metal box house. Casey looked down at his drenched clothes and sighed before going to his closet and pulling out the first pair of pants and top he could find. He changed out of his wet clothes and into his dry ones. Casey was now wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black chinos, he sighed deciding that it will do before getting his gel and spiking his hair up. Casey sat down on his small and uncomfortable couch that made him itch. Casey still had another two hours or so until he had to be at the diner, but he was sure he would insane if he stayed another minute in that caravan or even the caravan park. Casey got up from the couch and left the caravan, making sure he locked it behind him and then he got into his car and drove out of the caravan park. The town was pretty much dead except for the few the early morning surfers and the dedicated runners that ran along the side of the road in their skins and tank tops even though the weather was getting colder now. Casey was going to turn into the the diner car park but instead he kept driving. He wasn't going to spend two hours in his car waiting like a loser, he might as well do something productive with his time. Casey hadn't been to the farm that the Walker's lived on since before Dex moved out the previous year so it took Casey a while to find it but Casey eventually pulled up in front of the familiar farmhouse. Casey walked up to the front door, he hands had gone clammy and he felt like his legs might betray him and he could very well end up in a heap on the Walker's welcome mat. Casey took several deep breaths and knocked on the screen door. Casey heard someone's footsteps walking closer to the door from inside. The door flew open and there stood Sasha in a pair of black pajama shorts and a yellow oversized Mr Happy top that Casey had seen before in a shop somewhere. Sasha's hair was in a mattered bun on top of her head.
"What are you doing here?" Sasha asked. Her voice was deeper than usual and she kept squinting at the sun. Casey had woken her up. Casey cleared his throat and started to rock back and forth on the heels of his feet. Casey smiled at Sasha and put his hand on the screen door handle that Sasha had kept closed.
"I came by to see if you wanted a lift to work, I know it's early but I had to get up at a stupid time so I didn't have to wait for a shower and then I just couldn't stay in the caravan for much longer and I wasn't about to wait out the front of diner for that long and I figured you might like a lift instead of catching the bus," Casey rambled on. Sasha didn't say anything she just rolled her eyes and unlocked the screen door. Casey opened it and followed Sasha into the lounge room. They both sat on the couch and Casey couldn't help but notice how much more comfortable it was than Casey's back at the caravan. "I like your pajamas by the way," Casey teased. Sasha grabbed a couch pillow and hit Casey in the stomach with it.
"Shut up, I wasn't planning on any visitors," Sasha grumbled. Casey put his hands up in surrender and chuckled quietly. This was the way the two of them were before Casey went and screwed everything up. The difference being that before Sasha wasn't actually annoyed at Casey for making the comment, this time she was. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence until Sasha stood up from the couch. "I should go and get ready. Just wait here, or leave I don't really care," Sasha said as she walked out of the lounge leaving Casey alone.

 

Around an hour later Sasha walked back into the lounge, this time she was wearing a black and purple dress that went to just above her knees and a pair of black converses and her hair was now straightened and flowed freely behind her. She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a muesli bar and walked into the lounge and stared at Casey expectantly.
"Are we going or?" Sasha asked with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised. Casey jumped up from the couch and nodded his head. He got his keys out of his pocket and shook them in Sasha's direction. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the lounge with Casey following behind her. Casey had started to regret coming to the farm and getting Sasha, she didn't seem to want him there and that just made the situation awkward and uncomfortable no matter how hard Casey tried to lighten the mood. Casey's only intentions were to patch everything up with Sasha so there was no bad blood between the two of them anymore. They drove in silence, Casey decided to give up on any friendly talk, just for the time being. They pulled into the diner's car park and Sasha turned to Casey who was undoing his seat belt. "Thank you for the ride Casey but please don't ever do it again," she whispered quietly as she got out of Casey's car. Casey's heart sunk, he wanted to turn around and go back to his caravan and hide from everyone as he watched Sasha walk into their place of work like there was not a problem in the world. Didn't she miss the friendship they had? Didn't she miss the way they were always there for each other? Didn't she miss him? He missed her, he missed her a lot. He missed her more than he realised he did and what she just said hurt more than he cared to admit. He didn't really know what he had been thinking when he pulled into her driveway earlier that morning, that one lift was going to make up for months of ignoring her texts and walking in the opposite direction when he saw her coming. Casey had even stopped eating at the diner for an extended period of time just to avoid an awkward conversation or two. Maybe if Casey had of bothered to talk to her he wouldn't be sitting in his car feeling like it was all irreparable. He wasn't about to let Sasha go, not at all. Even if it meant they had more uncomfortable car trips from her place to work it didn't matter, he was going to get her to be his friend whether she wanted to or not. Casey knew what he had to do next. Everything would be back to normal soon enough. Casey and Sasha would be friends again, Casey knew it. Casey was going to do his very best to prove to Sasha that he was sorry for everything and that he had changed.

 

Casey untied the apron from around his waist and walked into the back of the diner and hung it up before walking back out into the hub of the diner. It had been a busy day, Casey had had barely anytime to think let alone to talk to Sasha. Leah walked by him with a plate of food that she took to a table before walking back to Casey with a big smile on her face.
"Well done today Case, you did really well. Now get going, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," Leah said to him before walking back behind the counter and she started talking to a customer about what they wanted. Casey smiled to himself, he had done well today. He was going to do well at the diner, he wouldn't have to go back to Angelo's which lifted a giant weight off Casey's shoulder. Casey looked at Sasha as she walked by him, she looked up at him and the two of them made eye contact. Sasha was the one to break it a second later. Casey rolled his eyes and walked out of the diner. Casey got into his car and started the engine up and drove out of the car park. He headed towards his old best friend's apartment. He was going to visit Dex, if anyone was going to be able to help Casey out it was Dex. Dex knew Sasha better than anyone in Summer Bay so it made perfect sense. Casey hoped that Dex was home as he drove through the familiar roads, taking in the familiar scenery.  Casey got to the apartment building and parked in the visitor parking. He walked into the building, it was still as impressive as the first time Casey had been there. The walls were white and high, the tiles on the floor were black and shiny and all of the furniture in the lobby was either white or black. Casey pressed the button for the elevator and waited for it to get to him. Casey stepped in when it finally got him and pressed the button for the third floor. Casey was one of those people who had an irrational fear of elevators, he was certain that the elevator would break down and he would be stuck there until somebody realised it wasn't working. Casey's heart was beating like crazy until he was able to step out. Casey walked to Dex's door and knocked until Dex swung the door open. Dex was wearing a pair of track pants and an old looking hoodie. He smiled when he saw Casey and moved to let him in.
"What have I have done now?" Dex asked jokingly. Casey chuckled and sat down on one of Dex's dining chairs. Casey looked around him, the apartment was much nicer than his caravan and if Casey was to get one of his own he wouldn't need much. He could take his bed from the old house and he was sure the boys had an old couch out in the shed and Casey could just eat on the couch until he could afford to buy a dining table.  Casey looked up at Dex and smiled.
"Nothing, this time. I need your help," Casey said sheepishly. Dex sat across from Casey and furrowed his eyebrows together.
"What can I do for you?" Casey took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had no idea whether Dex would be willing to help him out, Casey knew if the situation was reversed he wouldn't be too keen on helping.
"How do I get your sister not to hate me?"

 

[Phoebe]

Thank you Kristen, Red Ranger 1, hward, Ludub, ~JarlieFanEver~ and JosieTash for the comments!

This chapter has not been proof read! Sorry!

 

Chapter Four

 

Dex blinked at Casey a few times and ran his hands over his forehead. Dex's reaction didn't fill Casey with a lot of hope, in fact it left an awful feeling in his stomach. Casey had been hoping that Dex would smile at him and say that Sasha had been waiting for the day Casey went up to her and said sorry for everything, that wasn't the case at all. Dex leaned forward in his chair with his hands resting on top of each other on the table.
"What?" Dex muttered in a less than happy tone. Casey's eyes widen at the realisation that he may have just pushed the limit of his Dex's friendship a little too far. In the back of Casey's mind he was expecting this, so it wasn't a huge surprise or shock but Casey had been hoping  that Dex would see that helping him would help Sasha out too. Sasha would no longer be angry all of the time and she wouldn't have to hide from Casey anymore which would surely make her life much better. Casey didn't tell Dex any of that.
"You I have changed these last few months and I want to show Sasha that. I've tried everything I can think of, I've tried to start a friendly conversation but she's always really blunt. I went out of my way to go pick her up before work the other day and she ended up telling me not to do it again. You're her older brother, you know her better than anyone, help me out here Dex. What can I do to fix things with Sasha?" Casey finished. Dex leaned back in his chair slowly with a small smirk on his face. It was times like these that Casey was really grateful that he had friend like Dex, Casey could always count on Dex to tell it to him straight.
"It seems to me Mr Braxton that you've done everything except apologise," Dex said with his mouth still pulled up into a smirk. Casey had formed this opinion in his head that just apologising after so long wouldn't cut it but he had never really given it a shot. Dex furrowed his eyebrows at him. "You didn't think of it at all did you? When you do what you did to Sash to someone they kind of can't get over it without an apology Casey. I know that I have been like Switzerland throughout this but now is the time when I pull you aside and say that it was a dodgy thing to do to Sasha and it's wrecked her. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this now, I guess it's because suddenly you're butt-hurt because she won't forgive you at the drop of a hat. She isn't going to forgive you just like Case, you're going to have to wait for her to come around and that could take a while," Dex said with a large sigh at the end. Dex was right, and Casey knew it. Casey realised how stupid he had been about the whole situation, his master plan to get Sasha back had many holes in it which was why it wasn't working out. Casey had thought that it was just Sasha being stubborn when really it was because Casey hadn't thought it all through yet, much like his plan to become independent. Casey hadn't thought about how uncomfortable he would be sleeping in a caravan and showering and changing in a small box, he was hating it.
"I'm going to be 100% honest with you right now Dex, I thought apologising was a bad idea. I thought that the time to apologise had been and gone a long time and that saying sorry wouldn't cut it anymore. My plan was to try and woo her, I thought picking her up for work would help out in a way but it never did and that was disappointing. I'm going to take your advice and apologise, I'm not going to do anything fancy I'll just go up to her and say I'm sorry for everything. Thank you for your help Dex, don't tell her I talked to you about this please?" Casey said standing up from the chair. Dex stood up also and rolled his eyes.
"Of course I wouldn't, I didn't come down in the last shower. I will not tell the Sashmeister that you are repentant, I'll let you do that," Dex said. Casey had no idea what Dex was talking about if he was being completely honest. Casey furrowed his eyebrows and nodded his head.
"Thanks Dex. I have one more question, is there any apartments here for rent or for sale? I live in a caravan at the moment and I think if I have to wash some random's head hair, or what I hope is head hair, down the drain one more time I'm probably going to hit someone," Casey said. Dex's eyebrows furrowed at what Casey assumed to be the sudden change in topic and the fact that Casey was living at the caravan park. Casey started to feel guilty because he hadn't told Dex about his big move earlier, he and Dex were the type of friends to share everything until Casey screwed up with Sasha, that drove a huge wedge between them.
"Ah yeah, there's a few up for sale and a lot that are up for rent. When and why did you move out of your brothers' place?" Dex asked him. Casey was still lingering near the door.
"I felt like I needed a change and I can't live off of them my whole life. I moved out not too long ago, I like the freedom just not where I'm living. Where is April by the way? Is she working late?" Casey said. Dex scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat loudly.
"She and I are... No longer," Dex muttered. Casey's eyes widened, he hadn't realised how much of Dex's life he had missed out on other the pass few months. "She wasn't happy apparently, work is really awkward now," Dex continued. Casey cleared his throat and sat back down at the table.
"I'm really sorry Dex, I had no clue," Casey said. Dex just shrugged his shoulders in a way that was meant to be carefree but to Casey it just seemed sad. After a few minutes of silence Casey cleared his throat again. "Well, thank you for all of your help but I better get going," Casey said. Casey stood up to leave but Dex shook his head.
"There is no way I'm going to let you back to a place you can't stand when I have a perfectly good fold out couch, you're staying."

[Phoebe]

Thank you Kristen, ~JarlieFanEver~, Red Ranger 1, hward, JosieTash and Ludub for the comments!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It hasn't been edited!

 

Chapter Five

 

 

There was only one downside to staying at Dex's that night, Casey had no clean clothes to wear to work the next day. Dex had offered to wash his clothes and when Casey said no to that he offered up some of his own clothing but Casey didn't want impose more than he already was. Casey had decided that morning as Dex made a big fuss about breakfast and how eggs and bacon is the only acceptable breakfast food that he wouldn't stay at Dex's again, no matter how much living the van stressed him out. Casey just didn't want to cause anymore problems for Dex or his family. Dex went with Casey down to the lobby like Casey could possibly get lost on the way there. They arrived at the big glass double doors, Casey turned to face Dex. Dex reached out his hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"Don't try too hard," he said in his serious Dex voice, the voice Casey had barely ever heard. Dex's tone and his actions made it clear to Casey that if he screwed this up not only would he lose Sasha he would lose Dex too. Dex clearly couldn't continue to be friends with Casey unless he fixed everything. Casey now understood why Dex had followed him to the lobby. Casey nodded at him with a small smile on his face.
"I won't Dex, I'll just say sorry and if she accepts, cool, if not it sucks but I can't do anything about it," Casey said with a nod. Dex smiled and hit Casey's back.
"Atta boy! Now go win over my sister!" Dex said joyfully. Casey scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows together at Dex's words. It was the first and probably the last time anyone had ever told him to go win over their sister. Dex's face fell a little and he shrugged. "Ah, don't win her over too much, just to the friend stage. I think you're great but I don't want to be calling you brother and it actually being literal," Dex said just before he cleared his throat awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. Casey chuckled lightly and shook his head.
"At the moment I'm just trying to get in her good books again, one step at a time Dex," Casey joked. Casey didn't know whether he wanted more than a friendship with Sasha, he had only ever seen her as a friend, a close friend. He didn't want to give her the impression that he wanted more incase he didn't, he refused to hurt her in that way again. The chance that Sasha still had even a little bit of feelings left for Casey was very low. It had been months since the two had had a proper friendly conversation. Casey hoped that they could get back to where they were, it would help Casey sleep better at night even if he was sleeping in the van. Dex rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Just get going or you'll be late to work," Dex said, clearly fed up with Casey. Casey waved meekly before taking a step forward so the big glass automatic double doors registered he was there, the opened slowly and Casey walked through them. Casey had a lot of things on his mind as he unlocked his car and got in. He was thinking about the very real possibility that Dex might not be his friend as he started the engine and drove in the direction of his workplace. Casey didn't know a lot but he did know that he needed Dex's friendship because Dex was the only friend he had.

 

 

Casey's shift at the diner had just ended and he was out the back putting away his apron and letting Leah who was on prep duty know that he was off for the day when he found himself looking at the sticky note again. Since Casey's first day on the job whenever he was out the back his gaze would always end up up on the small but of yellow paper that had an unfamiliar scrawl in black sharpie on it. Casey hadn't known that it was possible for a tiny piece of paper to upset him so much, the fact that it was still around even thought he was working there upset him the most. Obviously Sasha isn't going to have to serve him anymore because he works there, the note isn't needed. The piece of paper wasn't actually the problem it was the message behind the note. Suddenly a hand was reaching out to the piece of paper and it was ripped away. Casey looked around and saw Sasha standing beside him with a ball of yellow paper between two of her fingers.
"I'm sick of you staring at it like it was a break up text or something. Just so you know I didn't write it or want it written, Indie did it and she wouldn't let me take it down even though it was possibly the most embarrassing thing ever. Although, Dex hanging his head out of his car window and yelling about how much he loves me when he sees me walking with some friends is pretty embarrassing," Sasha said as she moved the paper ball around in her hand. Casey chuckled awkwardly and then looked up at Sasha seriously. It was the perfect time to apologise, Sasha wasn't wearing an apron either which meant her shift had finished as well. Casey took a deep breath.
"Do you want to go for a walk? Just for a little bit, I won't waste too much of your time I promise," Casey said. Sasha placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips together before sighing and nodding her head. Casey smiled and walked out into the hub of the diner with Sasha following behind him reluctantly. Casey had to keep reminding himself of what Dex said earlier that day and the previous night, keep it simple, don't make a big deal about, just apologise. Casey was more nervous than he had ever been in his whole entire life. The two of them had made it to the beach and were walking with their feet in the water. Casey cleared his throat and turned his head to look at Sasha. "I should have said what I'm about to say many, many, months ago. I am so sorry for everything I put you through. You were one of my closest friends and when I found out that you wanted more than that from me I decided to take advantage of you and that wasn't okay. I was going through some issues when I did it, I know it's not an acceptable excuse but now that I have sorted those problems I can see that I had made this huge mistake and I've been spending the last week trying to make it up to you and failing and I only just realised that was because I hadn't actually bothered to say I'm sorry. I don't expect forgiveness straight away but I hope you can forgive soon enough," Casey said to her. Casey looked at her again to see her staring down at her feet in the water. Casey wasn't sure whether he had said too much or whether he had something he shouldn't have. Maybe mentioning that he was having problems made it all sound like he was just trying to justify why he did when he was just trying to say that he was sorry. Sasha was never an easy person to read emotionally, she kept herself pretty guarded so when she looked up at him Casey had no idea what to expect.
"I have been waiting for you to say exactly what you just but now that you've said I have no idea what to say. My first thought was to tell you to go take a hike and that your words mean nothing but that would have been a lie, if I had of said that it would've just been to hurt you and that would make me a pretty big hypocrite. I want to say that it's okay but that would also be a lie because it's not okay, you shouldn't have done it. You took something really important from me and you made it seem like nothing. Even though what you did is far from okay I think I forgive you, I've spent way too long hating you and wishing that something horrible would happen to you, now I'm tired of it all. Thank you for the apology Casey, it means a lot more than you think it means," she said. Casey was unbelievably happy that Sasha had decided to let everything go. After worrying about it for so long it was good for it to be no longer a problem. He and Sasha could go back to the way everything was before it all happened with no struggle.
"Thank you for forgiving me even though you have every right not to. Will you let me pick you up for work now?" Casey asked with a smirk. Sasha chuckled and nodded her head.
"I think I can handle that now."

 

[Phoebe]

After so long I finally have an update for you guys! I hope you enjoy!

Thank you  Kristen, Ludub, hward, ~JarlieFanEver~, JosieTash and Pembie for the comments!

And a special thank you to QUIET ACHIEVER for convincing me to continue with this fanfic 

 

Chapter Six

 

Casey couldn't help but smile as he locked up the dreaded caravan for the last time. A few days after staying the night at Dex's Casey did his research and realised that he could afford to live in an apartment like Dex's. Casey walked until he got to the house, he rapped his knuckles on the door and waited. A few seconds later Mr Stewart opened up the door and gestured for Casey to enter.
"Hello Mr Stewart, I'm here to return my caravan key," Casey said as he held out the small metal key for the older man to take. Mr Stewart furrowed his eyebrows and took the key from Casey. Casey turned to walk out of the house and back into the caravan park to where his car was loaded with all of the things he had taken to the caravan when he first moved there. Mr Stewart cleared his throat making Casey turn around to face him again.
"I'm glad you're on your own two feet, good luck," Mr Stewart said. Casey smiled and nodded before walking out of the house. Casey was also glad that he standing completely on his own now, he was totally independent from his brothers and he couldn't be happier. Even though he had been staying in the van for quite a while he didn't feel like he was doing everything for himself, it was like as long as he was staying somewhere owned by a family member or a friend he was still being helped. Casey unlocked his car and got it. He looked back at all the boxes sitting on the backseat and on the floor, his second move within a short amount of time, hopefully the second one is better than the first. Casey drove until he was out the front of the house he had lived in for most of his high school years, he parked out the front and got out. He walked around to the boot of his car and got out a few more boxes so he could finally take the rest of his belongings out of the house. He walked up the path and got the spare key from underneath  the pot plant and unlocked the door. He walked in to see Darcy and Kyle sitting side by side on the couch watching some show that Darcy liked. Darcy looked up at him and a big grin spread across her face. She stood up and ran to Casey, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. Kyle chuckled quietly and stood up from the couch.
"She's missed you a lot you know," Kyle said as he walked into the kitchen. Casey ruffled Darcy's hair and kissed the top of her head before removing her arms from his waist. Darcy sat back down on the couch. Casey followed Kyle into the kitchen and watched as Kyle got out a glass and filled it with juice. "Darcy come and get your juice," Kyle called out. Darcy ran into the kitchen and grabbed the juice while mumbling a thank you before walking back into the lounge to watch her show. Kyle looked over at Casey and held up the carton of juice. "You want some?" Casey screwed up his nose and shook his head.
"I'm just here to pick some more of my things up and then I'll be out of your hair, I've found myself a nice apartment," Casey said. Kyle looked down at Casey's hand that held a box with another box inside it. Kyle shook his head and turned away from Casey. Casey furrowed his eyebrows together and cleared his throat. "What's your problem Kyle?" Casey said. Kyle shook his head again and clenched his jaw.
"My problem? My problem is that you move with promises to visit and you go a month without even a call let alone a visit, you have no idea what that did to Brax by the way, then when you finally come to visit it's not because you want to it's because you want to get the rest of your things and go. I understand your need for independence but being independent and abandoning your family are two very different things Casey. Just grab your things and go Casey, you clearly don't want to be here anyway," Kyle said before storming off in the direction of his bedroom. Casey didn't move from his spot in the kitchen for a good five minutes. Casey had been so caught up in fixing his friendship with Sasha and work that calling one of his brother's didn't even occur to him. Kyle's words hurt him, not because they were particular nasty because they weren't, but because what he said was the truth. Casey had unintentionally abandoned his family. Casey only wanted to be on his own, he had no intention of leaving his family behind completely when he moved out. Casey wasn't usually the type to cry, he had been brought up in a way that looked down on boys crying, but a lump was forming is throat and his eyes stung. Casey cleared his throat and walked into Kyle's room to see him sitting on his bed on his phone that was connected to a charger. Kyle locked his phone and put on his bedside table when he saw Casey walk in. Casey sighed and sat on the bed beside him.
"Things have been insane since I moved out, I haven't really had the time to even think of calling or visiting. Everything has settled down now I'll be around more often, I promise you. I may not live here anymore but family is still important to me," Casey said. Kyle scoffed but sat up against the wall. He picked up his phone and unlocked it.
"Actions are louder than words brother."

 

 

 

Casey left the house a few hours later with a lot more boxes full of his things in tow. Casey promised every family member of his that he would be around soon, starting with going to Darcy's school assembly where she was going be reading out something for her class. Casey could see that Kyle was still skeptical of him which stung a little but he understood why. The sky was dark now and the stars were out, Casey had hoped to not have to move all of his stuff in the dark but things didn't go according to plan. Casey pulled into the parking lot for the residents of the building and got out. He pulled his phone out and dialed Dex's number, Dex answered after two rings.
"What do you want?" Dex said. Casey could someone laughing in the background, Dex ordered them to shut quietly but Casey could still hear him. Casey chuckled and shook his head.
"You having a party or something mate? Why wasn't I invited?" Casey said jokingly. Dex sighed loudly and Casey could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. Another burst of laughter was heard from Dex's side of the line.
"Sasha and her boyfriend showed completely unannounced and uninvited and they won't leave, they're just here eating all of my twisties and watching some trashy reality TV show even though Sasha knows Dr.Who is on," Dex said bitterly. Casey heard Sasha yell out something about Dr.Who being lame and Dex told her she was a poor unfortunate soul that needed to be educated on the wonders of sci-fi. Dex cleared his throat. "Sorry about that, so why have you called me?" Dex said.
"Well I need some help bringing up some boxes, can you give me a hand?" Casey asked. Dex breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes infact I can give you six, we'll be down soon, I'm guessing you're in the parking lot for the residents yeah?" Dex asked. Casey chuckled and was about to answer when Dex's voice boomed through the phone. "Of course you are what a stupid question. We'll be down soon," and then Dex hung up the phone. Casey opened the door of his car and grabbed three boxes and piled them on top of each other on the ground and then picked up the bottom one so he was carrying all three. Dex, Sasha and a boy that Casey recognised as Matt Page, he had been hired by Brax to deliver pizzas, came running up to Casey's car.
"Just grab whatever you can, my apartment is 6B, thanks for your help guys," Casey said gratefully. Sasha flashed him her cheesiest grin before grabbing some boxes out of the back. Matt followed his girlfriend's lead and the two of them walked out of the parking lot carrying multiple boxes of Casey's things. Casey realised as he watched the two of them that he had seen Matt kissing and flirting with multiple different girls, none of them being Sasha, a lot of times before between deliveries. Casey fell into stride with Dex who had started walking out of the parking lot himself. "How long have Matt and Sasha been dating?" Casey asked him. Casey needed to figure out whether Matt was cheating on Sasha or not, he couldn't let her get hurt again.
"They started talking about two weeks after the thing with you happened and they've been together ever since. They like each other so much it's kind of disgusting," Dex said as he screwed his nose up. Matt was also liking other girls behind Sasha's back. Casey wanted to tell Dex what he knew then and there but he knew that he wouldn't be believed because who would believe someone who had hurt the person in question before. Even if Dex did believe him Sasha never would. "You're not jealous are you?" Dex asked suddenly. Casey blinked a few times before shaking his head.
"No of course not, I just didn't know that Sasha was dating someone is all," Casey said. Dex nodded his head slowly. They were now in the elevator going up the floor that Casey apartment was on which happened to be the same floor that Dex's was on. The elevator doors flew open and standing there was Sasha who looked like she was just about to press the down button on the panel so she go down to one of the lower floors.
"What took you two so long? It feels like we've been waiting for two hours," she said. Casey chuckled as Dex started ranting about how over dramatic she was. Casey walked down the hallway to where Matt was waiting with his phone out and boxes surrounding his feet. Casey couldn't help but wonder which girl he was texting that wasn't his girlfriend.

[Phoebe]

Hi everyone! I have been so busy lately! I've had so many assignments and about 2 weeks ago I got my first job so I haven't really had the time to sit down and write! But here is another chapter and I hope you like it! This hasn't been edited I'm sorry!

Thank you Kristen, JosieTash, Ludub, Red Ranger 1, pembie, ~JarlieFanEver~ and hward for the comments  

 

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

Casey hadn't told Sasha yet, and he didn't plan on it any time soon. She wouldn't believe him, she wouldn't believe him because she wouldn't want to and well, he wasn't her most trusted person at the time. Casey decided he needed to talk to Matt, he wanted to know what he had to say for himself. Casey found himself back at the caravan park outside of Matt's caravan. Casey knocked loudly on the door and looked up at the stars in sky while he waited for Matt to answer the door. Matt opened the door and smiled at Casey.
"Can I come in?" Casey asked seriously. Matt's face fell slightly but he moved out of the way so Casey could enter the caravan. Casey noticed that Matt's caravan was exactly the same as the one Casey had owned. Casey sat on the couch and waited for Matt to do the same. Casey looked at Matt and shook his head slowly. "I know," Casey said. Matt sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his curls.
"I figured you did. You're not going to tell Sasha though," Matt said this as a statement not a question, like he was demanding that Casey stay quiet about it. Casey furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward in his seat. Casey thought back to all the confrontations he had either witnessed or been a part of when he and his brothers were part of The Riverboys and he turned into the guy he was back then.
"Oh, I'm not am I?" Casey asked with a smirk. Matt's mouth also turned upwards, he leaned backwards his arms behind his head. Casey had forgotten that Matt grew up in a similar way to him, he would've learned a lot of the tricks Casey had.
"Because she's not going to believe you for starters. I mean who would you believe if you were her, the guy who shattered your heart or your loving boyfriend? I mean the choice is pretty obvious to me. It's best if you just leave it, what she doesn't know won't hurt her and all that," Matt said. Casey clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Matt had no remorse and he didn't seem to care whether Sasha got hurt at all.
"Sasha deserves so much better than you, and if you were a half decent human being you would let her go so she could find someone who deserves her and can treat her with a bit more respect and care than you. I'm not going to tell her, only because I believe she should hear it from you and not anybody else. I'm going to give you a week Page, if you haven't told her by then I'm going to tell her. Think about what I've just said," Casey spat out. He stood up and walked towards the door.
"I wouldn't have turned to other girls if it wasn't for you. When we first got together she was everything I could have dreamed, then she told me what you did to her and it was like because she admitted it to me she felt like she could just turn everything I did or said into something you had done or said. You were all she ever talked about. I asked if she still had feelings for you and she said no but then I caught her crying in her room and I just knew it was about you. That's when I decided to be unfaithful, I know I should have just left but I didn't want to be the reason she was crying," Matt said. Matt's confidence had gone completely, instead of being intimidating he just sounded disappointed. Whether he was disappointed in himself, Casey or his failing relationship Casey didn't know and he didn't really care. Matt was being what Casey would describe as a snake, Casey didn't have an sympathy. He did feel bad, for Sasha, Casey had played a part in the wrecking of her relationship and he didn't even realise it.
"There is no excuse for cheating Matt. Tell her," Casey said before leaving the caravan.

 

 

 

Casey pulled into the driveway of the Braxton house and got out of his car. Darcy had called earlier that morning demanding that she stay over that night, she even went as far as to stay she'd sleep on the floor if she had to. Casey was certain that she just didn't want to stay at her grandma's while the others were out. Casey walked up the path and knocked loudly on the door. The opened a few seconds later revealing Darcy with a backpack on her back and her pillow under arm. Bianca walked up behind her and smiled at Casey gratefully.
"Thank you for having her, Heath and I really need a night out," Bianca said. She ruffled Darcy's hair and Darcy must have taken this to mean get in the car because she ran off to the car and hopped in the back. Casey smiled at Bianca and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"She's no problem. Where's Harley going tonight?" Casey asked, he couldn't see any sign of the baby anywhere. Bianca stepped outside and closed the front door behind her.
"He's over at April's, she hasn't seen him much lately so she demanded that she take him for the night," Bianca said with a sigh. Casey thought back to Dex a few nights ago and the look on his face when he told Casey that he and April had broken up for good this time. April and Dex's relationship was what Casey wanted in life, he wanted to be with someone that completely understood him and cared for him more than anything, Casey hated that it had ended.
"Oh okay, I'm sure he'll have fun. Do you know why April and Dex broke up? I know she wasn't happy but there has to be more to it than that," Casey said. Bianca rocked back and forth on her heels and sighed.
" I don't really know why she left but I'm almost certain she regrets it. You should get going, it's late and I still have to get ready," Bianca said. Casey nodded his head and waved before walking back to the car. Darcy was sitting in the backseat with her pillow on her lap and her backpack at her feet, she looked extremely bored.
"We'll be at my place soon," Casey told her. Casey hoped that what Bianca had said was true, April and Dex were perfect for each other, hopefully a bit of time apart will help April see that. Casey himself had been unlucky in love recently, one ex-girlfriend in jail and the other back with her parents he was starting to think that he was better off single.
"I think Bianca's pregnant again," Darcy said suddenly as Casey pulled into the resident parking lot. Harley was born almost two years ago, there was no way that Bianca was pregnant again. Casey hopped out of the car and walked around the side to open Darcy's door for her but she glared at him and opened it herself. "I'm 12, I can open my own door," Darcy said. Casey rolled his eyes at her.
"How come you get Kyle to get your juice for you then? And what makes you say that?" Casey asked her as they walked into his apartment building. Casey waved to the guy behind the counter who's job was to keep the resident's mail for them and to watch out for anyone suspicious. Darcy adjusted the bag on her back and pressed the up button on the elevator.
"It makes him feel important. She brought like five bags of chocolate honeycomb the other day and she caught me eating some so she sent me to my room for like two hours, does that not sound like a pregnant woman to you?" Darcy said as the elevator doors opened. Casey chuckled at her and walked into the elevator with Darcy following closely behind him. Casey pressed the button for floor three and the elevator started moving.
"I think you're just lazy. Maybe she just loves honeycomb. Just don't say to anybody else until Bianca or your dad confirm it okay?" Casey said to her. Darcy nodded her head and the elevator doors opened. The two of the stepped out and walked down the hall, passing Dex's apartment on the way, towards Casey's apartment. Casey saw a person sitting by his door with their knees up and their head resting on top of their knees. Casey could see that the person was a girl with long brown hair.
"Who's that?" Darcy whispered. Casey just shrugged and continued walking to his apartment. He unlocked the door and gestured for Darcy to go in, she hesitated but finally entered his little house, closing the door behind her. Casey cleared his throat and the girl moved her head a little, Casey still couldn't tell who it was.
"Can I help you?" Casey asked. The girl finally looked up. It was Sasha, her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were wet and bits of her hair were stuck to her face, she looked wrecked. Casey sat down beside her and looked at her. "Sash what's wrong?" He asked. Sasha sniffed loudly and rested her head on Casey's shoulder.
"I caught him with another girl Case." 

[Phoebe]

Thank you ~JarlieFanEver~, Kristen, Red Ranger 1, Ludub, JosieTash, hward and pembie for the comments!

Sorry for the long wait! I hope you guys like this chapter

 

Chapter eight

 

 

Casey wasn't surprised at the least. Matt probably wanted to get caught, it saved him from an awkward and uncomfortable conversation. Casey opened the door to his apartment and spotted Darcy sitting on the couch on her Ipad. He turned back to Sasha and cleared his throat.
"I'll be back in just a second okay? I've got to talk to Darcy," he said. Sasha nodded her head and Casey ducked into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the couch next to Darcy and nudged her side. She locked her Ipad and sat it on the couch beside her. Casey smiled at her. "Do you mind if Sasha comes in for a little bit? She's not having the best time at the moment?" Casey asked her. Darcy rolled her eyes and picked the Ipad back up.
"I don't care, I love Sasha," Darcy stated. Casey chuckled and and got off the couch. He opened the apartment door again to see that Sasha had finally stood up. She wiped at her eyes as Casey closed the door behind him so Darcy couldn't earwig on their conversation. Sasha cleared her throat and wiped at her eyes again, trying to get rid of any evidence that she had been crying. Casey stretched out his arms and Sasha fell into them. Casey rubbed soothing circles on her back while she cried into his shoulder. The two of them stood their like that for what felt like hours. Sasha pulled away once her tears had stopped. Her gaze fell onto Casey's shoulder, it was wet with Sasha's tears. She grimaced.
"I am so sorry about that," she muttered. Casey chuckled and shook his head.
"I don't mind, I have other shirts. Is Dex not home?" Casey asked. It had only just occurred to Casey that Sasha had come to him instead of her own brother, there had to be some sort of explanation for it. Sasha tucked her hair behind her ears and looked up at Casey.
"He's working a late shift and I had no where else to go so I came here, I'm sorry if that's a problem," Sasha said quietly. Casey shook his head and opened the door again, this time Darcy was watching something on Netflix. Casey gestured for Sasha to enter. She walked through the door, looking around the room as she did. Casey followed her and closed the door.
"You being here is no problem. Darcy what are you watching?" Casey said as he sat down beside her. Darcy sighed and leaned back against the couch more. Casey patted the spot next to him and Sasha walked over and sat beside him.
"I'm watching Brooklyn nine-nine, you remind me of Jake," Darcy stated. Sasha chuckled. Casey hadn't watched the show before so he had no idea who this Jake character was.
"Which one is he?" Casey asked. Darcy pointed to a guy on the screen with a gap in his teeth and messy light brown hair. Casey watched as Jake made an absolute fool of himself in front of the captain. Casey picked up a pillow and chucked it at Darcy. "I am nothing like that guy," Casey proclaimed. Darcy chuckled and nodded her head.
"Yes you are! You always make a fool of yourself," Darcy said through a fit of laughter. Sasha started laughing as well.
"She's right you know," Sasha said. Casey huffed and stood up from the couch. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed three glasses and filled them all with orange juice. He walked out with one in each hand and handed one to Sasha and Darcy. He walked back to the kitchen and grabbed his. He sat down on the couch again. "Thanks for juice Case," Sasha said before she swallowing it all in one go. "I should go now though," Sasha said as she stood up. She placed the cup on the coffee table and walked towards the door. Casey followed her and let Darcy know that he'll be back soon. "Dex messaged me about half and hour ago saying that he's home if I still needed him. Thank you for everything tonight Casey, I really appreciate it," Sasha said as they walked down the hall until they got to Dex's door. Sasha turned and threw her arms around him.
"Anytime Sash, anytime."

 

 

 

Casey dropped Darcy back at the house at around lunch time the next day, he didn't go in he had someone to go see. Heath said that Matt was working at Angelo's, Casey arrived at the restaurant and sat down on one of the stools and waited for the curly haired boy to come back from the delivery he was on. Casey sipped on a coke and watched the entrance for what seemed like forever until Matt finally walked through it. He sighed and rolled his eyes when he saw Casey sitting there. He sat the bag the pizzas are kept in behind the behind the bar and looked at Casey expectantly.
"You could have gone about it in a better way," Casey said. Matt sighed and started loading the next lot of pizzas in the bag. Casey and Matt could have been friends if things were different, they were very much alike. It was unfortunate that Matt had to cheat on someone Casey cared for deeply.
"You told me to let her know, I did. I don't see why you're complaining," Matt said bitterly. His face suddenly fell and he cleared his throat. "Hey Sash," he said before quickly leaving the restaurant with the pizza bag full of pizzas. Casey turned around to look at Sasha. She had her mouth open and her eyes were filled with hurt.
"You knew? You knew this whole entire time and you didn't tell me?" Sasha whispered. Casey stepped off of the stool and took a few steps towards her. Casey ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Casey wanted to tell Sasha but he knew that she wouldn't have believed him, his only option was to get Matt to admit it. She couldn't argue with that. Casey took another step forward and placed his hand on Sasha's arm, she just stared at for a few seconds before looking back at him.
"I didn't know you two were dating until we became friends again. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't believe me so I did the next best thing and told him to tell you. I didn't tell him to make out with another girl in front of you, that was just him being a coward. My intention was never to hurt you Sasha, but his was. Please don't be mad at me," Casey told her. She sighed and nodded her head.
"This isn't your fault. I just want there to be another reason for him cheating other than not loving me. Maybe it's just me, I must have me 'treat me like dirt I love it' written on my forehead or something," Sasha said. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Casey gulped and removed his hand from her arm. "Xav is the only boy who I've liked that hasn't hurt me. Stu hurt me, Matt hurt me and you hurt me. There has to be something wrong with me," Sasha continued. Casey's eyes widened.
"No no no no, what I did to you was my fault. I was a jerk, you deserved so much better than me Sash, so much better. You definitely deserved better than Stu and Matt as well. If I could turn back time and take back what I did to you I would but I can't. There is nothing wrong with you Sasha, except maybe choosing the wrong guys to fall for," Casey said. Sasha took a shaky breath and wiped at her eyes.
"I really missed you, you know?" Sasha told him. Casey gave her a small smile and rubbed at the back of his neck.
"I really missed you too Sasha."

 

 

 

[Phoebe]

Thank you Kristen, ~JarlieFanEver~, Ludub, Red Ranger 1, pembie and hward for the comments!

This is the last chapter of this fanfic! I'm sorry it's so short but I felt like if I added more it would ruin the chapter. I hope you like the ending

 

Chapter nine

 

Casey and Sasha untied their aprons from around their waists at the same time. Casey looked over at and smiled, she smiled back before picking up her bag from the ground and walking out of the kitchen. Casey heard her yell out goodbye to Roo and Leah and then he couldn't hear her anymore. Casey quickly put his backpack on his back and hurried out of the door, giving a slight wave to the girls as he went. Sasha was about to step onto the beach when he caught up with her. She turned to face him, using her hand to stop the sun from getting in her eyes.
"What's up Braxton?" She asked him and they walked on the sand. She bent down and took her sandals off her feet, Casey did the same with his shoes. The waves crashed into the shore in front of them, Casey loved the beach and probably always would. Sasha suddenly sat down on the sand laying her legs out in front of her, she patted the patch on sand beside her and looked up at Casey. Casey sighed and sat down where she had patted.
"Nothing's up, I just wanted to check up on you," Casey told her. It had been a week since Sasha overheard Casey's and Matt's conversation and the two of them hadn't had much time to talk about anything let alone what had happened. Sasha cleared her throat and picked up a handful of sand and let it fall between her fingers.
"I've been okay, my family has really helped me. Dex and I stayed up that night that I came to your door listing all the ways we could run Matt out of town, Dex always managed to include some weird animal that could hurt him. Indie and I had a girls night where she basically told that she knew Matt was bad from the very start. Dad said I should stay away from boys all together and he was serious too. I haven't really been left alone since it happened, which is sweet but I haven't had time to figure out how I feel about it because there has always been someone around telling me how I should feel," Sasha told him. Casey nodded his head and laid down with his hands behind his head.
"I can go if you want," Casey said. There was a silence for a few minutes, Casey was about to get up and leave when Sasha suddenly grabbed hold of his hand. Casey looked at her with a small smile and furrowed eyebrows. "I'm a little confused," Casey admitted sheepishly. Sasha chuckled and shook her head slightly. Sasha sat up with Casey's hand still in hers, Casey sat up as well still looking at her like he had no idea what was going on because he really didn't know.
"Dex told me that you were so adamant on fixing what you had done, so much so you asked him what you should do to make it up to me. You wanted to let me know that Matt wasn't loyal in a way that wouldn't hurt me as much. When I was having a moment and said that there must be something wrong with me you were quick to tell me that I was wrong. Case, you may not have liked me way back when but I'm pretty certain you like me now. I have figured out the reason Matt and I didn't work, it was because I still hadn't gotten over you. Tell if I'm making a fool out of myself here," Sasha said. Casey gulped, he knew he had been feeling something more than just friendship towards Sasha since the two of them became close again but he didn't know that she was feeling the same way. Casey sighed and shook his head slowly.
"You aren't making a fool of yourself. Are you sure it's not too soon after Matt? I understand completely if you need some time to yourself for a while. I don't mind waiting," Casey said. Sasha shook her head and leaned her head on Casey's shoulder.
"Matt and I were never solid. What he did really hurt me but I'm partially to blame. I shouldn't have tried to move on from you so quickly. I'm ready to give you another chance, that's if you want one," Sasha told him. Casey smiled and put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. . Casey sighed happily and looked down at his sand covered feet. The one thing he had wanted for months had fallen right into his lap and he couldn't have been happier.
"There is nothing I want more than a second chance from you," he said. He looked at her and smiled. She chuckled and leaned forward and Casey leaned in to meet her and then their lips touched for the first time. It was everything Casey could have asked for.

 

 

 

 

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