Possession| Book 2

Scarred

Chapter: 08

Casey's mind swirled as he absent-mindedly skated past various people. It had been a day since Kylee told him the truth about everything and it hadn't left his mind since. He was feeling too much, thinking too much to identify his thoughts and feelings so he just let his mind take him where it wanted while he kept his feet jammed to his skateboard.

When Kylee started to tell him the truth, he was internally relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore the way he used to. But then she told him about their mother and what she had done and suddenly, Casey was more scared for Kylee than he had ever been for his life.

He didn't know for how long he had been in the skating park but it wasn't until he heard someone call his name that he looked up and saw that the sun was setting. He had been there the whole day.

He slowed his skateboard to a stop and turned around to see Chloe coming his way. She was wearing one of her favorite red plaids over a white tank top along with shorts and boots that nearly reached her knees. Her dirty-blond hair was damp as if she'd taken a shower and fell past her shoulders.

"What the hell?" she asked with an accusing look. Casey sighed and stepped off his skateboard, flipping it with his foot so it stood vertically.

"Have you talked to Zack?" he asked and she blinked at the unexpected question.

"Not really. I mean, he was only home for a few hours. Which, by the way, doesn't surprise me anymore." She frowned and Casey clicked his tongue. "Did you get anywhere with Kylee?"

"I did, actually," he said and she drew in her eyebrows.

"What did she say?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest eagerly.

He stayed silent for a minute before saying, "I think it's best if you hear it from Zack."

Chloe scoffed, "Seriously? You really think he's going to tell me everything just like that?"

"They actually had better reasons than we thought for lying," Casey told her and she looked at him incredulously. "Things are different – a lot different – than we imagined."

"Casey," Chloe said, looking intently at him. "What's going on?"

Casey sighed again. Kylee told him not to tell anyone about anything she had told him but keeping secrets from Chloe always made his insides twist in a tight knot and he couldn't get rid of the feeling until he told her. He didn't know what to do so he just stood there, staring at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"You're seriously not shutting me out, are you?" Her tone held genuine anger and it was the emotion Casey loved to see directed at others but felt crushed and hollow when it was focused on him.

"Chloe, you need to ask Zack but if he can't tell you, then neither can I," he tried to explain to her in the softest way possible but it only pissed her more.

"Casey, my brother is messed up," she told him in a firm tone. "I need to know the cause."

"Whatever it is, Chloe, they chose that cause," Casey said. "They knew the consequences and still chose to do it."

"Chose to do what?!" he flinched at the loudness and anger in her voice. He looked at her and saw a pleading expression on her face replaced by the one filled with anger. She took a step forward to him and stared at him helplessly. Up close, he could see the light freckles that dusted her nose which were usually invisible from afar. He could see the softness fading away from her face, her cheekbones becoming more and more prominent each day. Her gray eyes pleaded with his hazel ones. "Casey, if you know something—"