Casey and Me

That ... actually makes sense

"I think I've got it worked out," Sophia said, as we walked to the pool that afternoon. "Casey is trying the 'If I can't have you, then no one will' line, but she's going about it in a different way."

"You mean instead of trying to off me, she's going to interfere in all my friendships?" I asked. 

"More like all your friendships with boys," Sophia clarified. "Her goal is to drive a wedge between you and any boy who might be a 'rival' to her 'affections'. She's already driven a wedge between you and Ellis, but let's face it, I never trusted him too much as it was."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" 

Sophia shrugged. "Gut instinct," she said. "I grew up in an abusive household, and I learned very early on to trust my gut. And it was screaming the day we met Ellis. He's a very charismatic person, and he sure knows how to do and say all the right things, but let's face it. His family come from the same tribe as Casey's, and they're not very trustworthy. And no, I'm not lumping all Romani in the same pot. It's just that particular branch who mess it up for the rest of them."

"You've got a point," I admitted. "And things are actually starting to make sense now. Remember the night Casey pushed her way into my outing with Ellis? He didn't even put up a halfway decent fight. He could've called for security to come and have Casey removed from the car, but he just rolled over and took it."

"Exactly," Sophia said. "I know it's not easy to hear, but Ellis has always seemed a bit off to me. And he spilled Miss Ainsworth's secret to Casey with nary a thought except to further please her so she'll keep him around. The moment he turns traitor on her, she'll probably set out to completely ruin his life."

"They're not even allowed to be on school property at the same time," I protested, as we reached the pool. David and the rest of the team were there - barring Ellis, of course -  and so was Olivia, who turned and glared at me as Sophia and I entered. I ignored her, but I did drop my voice so only Sophia could hear me. "How the hell is she 'keeping him around'?"

"Her aunt and uncle managed to retain custody of her, despite Miss Ainsworth's efforts to get her removed," Sophia whispered back. "Or they got it back after losing it. Either way, Ellis has 'easy access', even though he's not allowed around her until the case goes to trial. I've seen him go there every afternoon, and God knows what they get up to in that house of horrors."

"Does Miss Ainsworth know?" I asked, a sick feeling in my stomach. 

"Not yet," Sophia said. She nodded significantly at Olivia. "Let's keep this between you, me and the gatepost, at least until after we lose the guard dog. Oi," she said, raising her voice to a normal level. "I thought you'd given up on training."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Someone has to be here to make sure David doesn't get bothered," she said with a cold smile. That's when I realised she was dressed in bathers with a white shirt overtop. "I'm refereeing the game."

I groaned. "For God's sake," I said angrily. "Just drop it, will you? David and I are friends, and he can look after himself. If I'm 'bothering' him, he'll tell me."

"That's enough," David said sternly. "Olivia, you're only here to referee. That's it. If you use that position to bug anyone, I'll get someone else to fill in. Now shut up and let everyone get kitted up."

Olivia sighed but stepped aside, and Sophia and I hurried to the change rooms, with Marcia in hot pursuit. "What's her deal?" she demanded. 

"We'll tell you after," Sophia promised, throwing her bag down in disgust. "Right now, I just want to get this game over and done with. Sarah, how are your legs?"

"Better," I said, setting my own bag down. "I won't be drowning any time soon, which is going to disappoint Olivia somewhat. I'm sure she'd have loved that."

"Just be careful," Marcia warned. "She won't keep her claws to herself, and if something does happen to you, she will stop people from intervening. I've seen it before, and it was not pretty. There was this boy on my old team who had a really bad rivalry with another boy. The other boy got into trouble, and the bully actually punched anyone who tried to save him. Thankfully he was overpowered, and the other boy was saved, but it was a near thing. The poor kid had nightmares for months, and quit the team when he came out of hospital. Last I heard, he was still at home, and I don't think he'll ever willingly go near a pool again."

I shivered. "Yeah, I'm watching my step."

"We won't let anything happen to you," Sophia promised. "David will probably take her apart at the seams, and Rocky won't be too far behind."

"My two favourite guard dogs," I said, and the other girls laughed.

"They're pretty good," Marcia agreed. "I think we can count on them to run interference in case Olivia lets her position get to her head."

I nodded, feeling better. "Then lets get out there and see if we can't manage to at least pretend we're putting the wind up Silver Cross," I said, and we shared another laugh as we exited the changerooms.