Casey Barnes Eponymous - By E.A. Rigg Page 0,15

come into the library the next day. It was not like he said he would. All he did after she ended their makeout session was walk her upstairs and drive her home. On the way they talked about the merits of Goldfrapp’s live shows. Then at her house he kissed her again and said he would see her at school the following day.

As soon as Casey entered the house Yull came out of his room. “What were you doing with Alex Deal?”

She ignored him and headed to the basement, where she took her cell phone out of her bag. In the course of her two hour date with Alex Deal Leigh had sent two text messages. 1. How’s it going? 2. Do not have sex with him today. There is no source of female knowledge in the world that says this would be a good idea. She sank onto the couch and selected Leigh’s name.

Yull followed her. “What were you doing with Alex Deal?”

Casey allowed herself to savor the moment. It was the first time ever Yull had demanded to know details of her social life. Most of the time the curiosity strain ran in the other direction, though because she would never admit to this she relied on Leigh to share whatever she heard. “And why exactly is that any of your business?” she asked.

“Because you’re my sister and I know more about Alex than you do.”

There was something in Yull’s voice that made Casey pause before hitting Leigh’s name. Rather it was the lack of the two things that were always there: hostility and sarcasm. He sounded serious all of a sudden. Whatever.

“If you’ll excuse me I have to make a phone call now,” she said.

Yull rolled his eyes. “Tell Leigh I say hello.” He left the room.

At any rate the next day, once her library period ended, Casey could not help but feel disappointed. There was even a text message from Leigh asking if Alex Deal had come to see her. She did not reply. There were, after all, three more periods to go in the school day. He was probably waiting for the passing time between one of them to come to her locker, say hello, invite her for pizza and then to his house for another makeout session.

By last period of the day, a hellish English in which Casey again sat with Sukh the Sikh and Catherine Hightower and listened as Catherine prattled on about project ideas for Beowulf, she began to feel sad. Exactly twenty-four hours ago she had plans with Alex Deal. Now the only plan in her life was a project on Beowulf. Oh cruel cruel fate.

“Casey!” Catherine Hightower said, “Did you hear, like, a word I said?”

Casey looked at her. “Start with a Feist song. ‘I Feel It All’ would work. The dance remixes of that one are pretty killer too. Then venture out to Band of Horses. ‘Our Swords.’ Might feel a bit grungy for a couple of bars but by the end of it you won’t be nearly as freaked by all the schoolwork you have to complete in the next week. And for a third song I’d try something by The Helio Sequence. That’ll help your nails grow back.”

Catherine and Sukh looked at Catherine’s nails. They were bitten to the quick. Catherine shoved them under her thighs. Casey yawned and looked out the window. The bell rang to end the period. Sukh leaned over. “I like these bands too.”

“I had a feeling about you, kid.”

Sukh held up his index and pinkie finger in the ACDC sign.

Leigh was waiting for her in the hall. “So did he come to the library today? You didn’t respond to my text.”

“Many guys came to the library today. Which ‘he’ are you referring to?” Casey walked towards her locker.

Leigh fell into step alongside her. “What do you mean, ‘which he?’ Alex Deal of course.”

“Oh right. That guy. Umm.” They arrived at Casey’s locker. She twisted the lock and opened it. “Nope, don’t think I saw that guy in the library today.”

“But,” Leigh began. She looked around and brought her voice down a decibel, “didn’t he say he’d see you at school today?”

Casey made a mental note to never, ever, ask a friend about someone they liked who did not follow up the way he or she said they would. This was a straight path to that netherworld that sat in between heaven and hell. Purgatory, that’s what it was called. Of course Leigh