Late in L.A. • Casey & Izzie Story [ENG]

Chapter 8

Parties and Thoughts

Casey finds Sharice on the ground floor. She should be ecstatic for the party, but she's thoughtful.

"Everything alright? - her friend waves a hand in front of her face, getting her attention - You were lost in thought."

"Everything's fine, yes. Are you ready? Shall we go?" Casey looks at Sharice, dressed in a midnight blue dress, and regrets once again choosing a simple look for the evening. Since they had arrived at UCLA, it seemed like even going to parties was part of the competition.

"What's wrong? Is it stained?" Sharice looks at her dress, starting to panic.

"No, it's just that you've dolled up for the evening and here I am in shorts. Maybe I should go back upstairs and change."

"Casey, I've probably seen you in a dress twice in all the years we've known each other. I bet you didn't even pack one in your suitcase. You're right to dress how you feel and to be who you are. By the way, have you thought about what we talked about this afternoon?"

"I need more time to think about it. I went up to my room first and barely had time to get ready..."

"And she was there?"

"Yes, she was there."

"Is she coming tonight?"

"Yes, but she told me she's going to the party with someone named Mel. Do you know her?"

"Never heard of her, who is she?"

"The captain of the Sherman Oaks team."

"Mmmm. Maybe I understand. Is she blonde?"

"I don't know, how am I supposed to know..."

"If she's the one I have in mind, maybe you should hurry up, Casey..."

...

That Afternoon at the Beach

That afternoon, Casey had gone to the beach with Sharice. She was disappointed by her pathetic performance in a race, the two hundred meters, in which she usually had no rivals. She had slept very little since arriving in Los Angeles. And, to top it off, she felt she needed to talk to someone about what was happening between her, Izzie, and Evan. Sharice was the only person she could trust. But she didn't know how to bring up the topic. Sharice, on her part, seemed calm and enthusiastic about the experience, despite having no big ambitions regarding sports results or admission to UCLA. She had already decided that she would only apply to universities on the East Coast. At worst, she would stay and study in Connecticut. Casey didn't dislike those options either, but having discussed so much with Izzie and the coach about UCLA made her feel obligated to apply there as well. Even though going to study in Los Angeles had never been her idea, she now felt compelled to prove to others that she could embrace it.

Arriving in an area of the beach where a barrier made of enormous rocks reduced the force of the waves for bathing, Casey and Sharice had taken off their shoes and sat on the sand in a spot where the shade could provide them with a little relief. Sharice kept talking about the guy she had met at the party the previous night. It turned out he already had a girlfriend, and things didn't go well. Casey was looking at the ocean, nibbling on the straw of the smoothie cup she had finished just before.

"...So tonight, I'm thinking of dressing up sexy and passing him by so he realizes what he's lost," Sharice was nonstop talking. "And maybe with a bit of luck, I'll meet someone else."