Chapter Seven
Of all the four years Casper had known Logan he had been anything but quiet and awkward. Even when he first met him he was causing mayhem in the classroom on the first day. And it seemed, much to Casper’s annoyance, that he was only being that way around Casper. If he was being this way because he felt awkward about what happened at the party Casper would have understood... sort of. But he seemed fine talking to James, sure they were best friends but Casper was Logan’s friend too and he... was just a big bag of dicks.
Hedgehog and Daisy were oblivious, being in their own world of pure love and all that crap. Surely Hedgehog was informed of what went down after she had left to comfort Daisy in ways that shall never be revealed and kept a secret to everyone but Daisy and Hedgehog (in any other circumstance the boys would have expressed how unfair it was to them). But seriously, not even in a kind of love trance state would you be able to miss the awkward silence and tension hanging around them, they were purposely ignoring it.
Though Daisy did say at one point that she had tried calling him and texting him a lot over the weekend. To be honest Casper totally forgot about his phone and how he had turned it off and hid it in his sock drawer. Of course he didn’t want to say all that. “Oh yeah, my phone just disappeared. I don’t know where it is.” He gave an awkward laugh and Daisy gave him a look like she didn’t believe him but left it anyway.
James was the one getting on Casper’s nerves the most and not even in his usual way which pissed Casper off even more.
James was being quieter than he usually was and his teasing had become more calculated and more hesitant, as if he was treading on thin ice: take the wrong step and he was a goner but, for Casper every safe step he took the more further away he seemed and that feeling of loneliness was now so high on the list of things that confused Casper – even the list seemed to be filled with James and that in question made the list itself. Even so, James was still forcing the idea that nothing had happened, when it obviously had, and Casper stubbornly left him with the idea that he could make things go back to normal but so far it was just getting worse.
Suddenly with one stupid kiss everything was going to shit.
It wasn’t even James’ attitude towards Casper that was pissing him off; it was what Casper had started to notice about him too. He had become more conscience of James and was noticing this about him he’d never even batted an eye lid to. Like, how he fiddled with his left stretcher when he was nervous and bit his lip when he was deep in thought – when Casper first noticed it he’d got up and all but bolted to the boys toilets and stayed there until the bell rung, freaking out about the fact he’d been staring at his lips and his reaction down low when his teeth had pulled at his bottom lip. It did things that Casper wouldn’t be able to confuse with anything but arousal or the sudden want to capture those lips with his own.
In classes he had with James his eyes always seemed to find him. In corridors he suddenly realised he was looking out for him, for a glance of him. And at the usual lunch table he would sit and wait for him without realising either.
They would both walk to school and back together with strained conversations and half hearted fighting to what they had before, sometimes the fighting would get a little too deep and both boys stopped before anything could slip out or cause further tension and neither of them lifted a hand to one another. Casper didn’t dare touch him, not even with the thought of violence because he would suddenly have these conflicted feelings of what would happen if he did. He realised he ached to touch James.
It was fucking maddening and crazy. James was a guy. A guy that was a good kisser, he’d give him that, but a guy all the same and one that he had hated since the day he met the son of a bitch.
Eventually Casper got so confused with everything and feeling really lonely he decided he needed help and advice and probably someone he could just vent and talk to. He texted her on the Friday to not make any plans the next day. She instantly replied saying that she was fine with Casper coming over. He just hoped she would be able to help.
*~*
In a way, Darla’s house was as interesting as Logan’s was extravagant. Her parents travelled a lot and the house was filled of souvenirs from their journeys and it fascinated Casper. He couldn’t get enough.
The living room was almost filled to the brim with all different ornaments and paintings, swords and other weapons. In their dining room they didn’t have table and chair but a kotatsu, a Japanese table that you had to sit on floor cushions to eat on, that was actually brought back from Japan years ago before they actually had Darla. They even had mini running fountain as a tap in the upstairs bathroom.
Every room was practically a different country or a few mixed together. All except Darla’s.
Darla’s room was simple: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and curtains. She didn’t really believe in flaunting the places she had been the way her parents did. She would rather just tell people where she had been and what she had done rather than bring everything she could back and practically stick it into people’s faces. Plus she thought the souvenirs were tacky and she didn’t even want to travel in the first place.
“It’s not fair Cas. I miss loads when I’m away and they even take me from school sometimes!” Darla complained to Casper the day after she had just returned from a two week trip to Africa, she had a nice brown colour to her usual vampire pale skin. “I mean what kind of parents are they?”
Casper didn’t say anything to that because he loved the idea of his parents taking him all over the world, learning new cultures, being out of school, actually being somewhere sunny for once. Casper had never had a holiday out of Britain and he would do anything to see something beyond English beaches and Scottish mountains but he knew his parents weren’t made of money so he couldn’t blame them for it. So he couldn’t really agree with her and say “Yeah, they are the worst” because Darla had it pretty good and she was definitely one of the luckiest people Casper knew but he didn’t hold it against her that she sometimes was ungrateful for what she got because she didn’t know any better.
“I’m assuming the reason you’ve come to talk to me has something – or everything to do with what happened last week.” Darla stated while lying on her bed and painting her nails black. Casper was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the low bed and stared at the plain grey carpet. Of course it was obvious that she would have guessed. What else was there to freak out about? World hunger? The fact that Robert Downey Jr. may not be continuing as Iron Man for eager awaited sequel, Avengers 2? No, James had somehow made himself the number one problem in Casper’s life and it seemed to have become blatantly obvious to those that surrounded him.
Darla sighed as Casper continued to stay silent, taking it as a sort of confirmation – not that she had any doubt it was anything else in the first place. “I don’t know what you’re freaking out about – it was one measly little kiss. No biggie.”
Casper swung his head up.” What do you mean ‘no biggie’?” He gave a slight cry,” this is totally a biggie! This may be the biggest crisis of my life and I don’t know what to do to stop it!”
“Why do you want to stop it?”
“Because it isn’t right!” Casper all but screamed, hands flailing before the returned to his sides again in defeat and his eyes cast to the ground once again.
Darla gave up on her nails, carefully placing the little bottle of black liquid on her window ledge before moving over across the bed to where Casper leaned sitting on the floor and placed both her legs on either side of him then draping her arms around his neck and put her face in his hair and breathed in the scent of his shampoo willing him to calm down.
Casper hardly ever got upset unless it was aimed at James, so it was new to see him show his emotions, even if James was still the main clause of it all, but this was different than his usual anger and Darla didn’t really know what to do see as she didn’t have a lot of friends. Most couldn’t handle her and didn’t like the way she acted.
Breathing in a last essence of strawberry- seriously what boy uses strawberry shampoo- Darla decided to just say and do what felt right and try and comfort the boy. Obviously he was having a tough time dealing with everything.
“What isn’t right?” Darla said, patting Casper’s black hair.”Tell me. What are you freaking out about?”
Casper gave out a shaky laugh. She sounded like a shrink or something. Darla being affectionate was weird but nice.
“Everything...Everything lately just sucks, you know?”Casper started, “after that stupid kiss everything is different. James is acting weird, I’m reacting to him totally different how I should be and I can’t even tell my mum about it because I’m scared of what she’ll think of me and that fucking sucks...” Casper broke off,” not to mention Logan hardly even looks at me never mind speaking to me! I am mean what is that!”
Darla stopped patting Casper’s hair and just rested her chin on his head.
“First off,” she said,” Logan is probably acting all weird because he used you for a certain kind of material for a certain kind of quality time with himself after everyone had left later on...”
“Ugh, Darla! That’s gross!” Casper turned abruptly, face red.
She stared in amusement at her friend. “Gross but most likely true,” she shrugged.” Now turn back around so I can comfort you more.”
Casper shuddered idea of Logan and his imagination but reluctantly turned.
“Tell me about how you think your acting different.”
Casper hesitated but ended telling Darla of his thoughts throughout the week: how everyone including him was acting weird; Hedgehog and Daisy being oblivious; how James was suddenly super attractive and- when in all hell did that happen? How he gets the sudden urge to just grab his face and slam their lips together every time he saw James lick is lips; how it just seemed he couldn’t get him out of his mind and it was beginning to drive him crazy. And why was he experiencing these things now when James wasn’t even the James he knew anymore. He didn’t know who this guy was.
“The worst part is I miss him.” Casper gasped, he hadn’t really admitted that to himself until now. But it was true. He missed the stupid bastard and his stupid name calling because at least, then, he was genuine – not the stupid fake that had taken the body of James now. Casper choked, ”oh God I fucking miss him.”
Darla snuggled further into Casper, threading a piece of hair between her fingers.
Casper scowled.
“And, actually, it is all your fault.” Casper accused.
Darla whipped her head up” My fault?”
“If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have played that stupid game.”
“Well sorry for wanting to have a good time,” Darla retorted,” besides you seem to be the only one with the problem... if it is even that.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You didn’t exactly look like you were absolutely disgusted when James’ tongue was stuck down your throat- in fact I think I remember myself feeling quite sick when looking at you both practically having sex in front of me. I dread to think what would have happened if we didn’t tear you two apart.”
Casper elbowed her in the stomach lightly, his face burning.“ Ugh I hate you.”
She giggled at that, squeezing him tighter.
“Why don’t you try again?” she said.
“What?”
“Kissing a guy.” Casper felt her shrug her shoulders, “why don’t you try it again?”
Casper snapped round at her, trying to see if she was joking but she seemed perfectly serious when his eyes looked into hers.
“Can’t you see me freaking out here, because after the last time that happened I’ve been freaking out.” Casper flailed.
Darla rolled her eyes at the boy.” But that was only with James.”
“What are you suggesting?” Casper eyes her suspiciously. Nothing ever good came out of Darla’s ideas; last week was a good example of that.
“Come one, up you get.” Darla rose to her feet, taking Casper’s wrist and drawing him to his feet,” It’s still early and you need to get changed.”
Darla smirked, leading him to her bathroom. Casper closed his eyes and groaned in defeat, contemplating his choices in friends and why he was such a freaking pushover.
Darla left him in the bathroom. He stood there awkwardly for a second before she was back flinging a black material at his face. He scrambled a little before pulling at it with his hand, realising it was a black shirt. A really small black shirt.
“It is sort of big on me so I figured it’ll fit you just swell.” Darla smiled.
“Are you kidding me?” Casper cried, holding the material in his left hand as if it offended him.”How am I supposed to breathe? That is if I actually fit in it.”
“Just put the damn shirt on you pussy.” Darla shouted, Casper flinched as her usual shrill voice was carried on the tiles of the white room.
He sighed and started to pull at his Adventure Time shirt over his head. “I really do hate you,” he mumbled. Darla just giggled in return, closing the door behind her and returning to her room again.
Casper had a sneaky suspicion was she was planning and just prayed to God that it wasn’t what he thought it was because even if he complained or refused Darla would just drag him by the ears.
He just hoped she knew what she was doing this time and maybe set things right.
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Yeah... so you know how I said in the last chapter it would be up in a week? ahaha... I lied. BUT TOTALLY UNINTENTIONALLY. I'd actually finished writing the chapter but I kept tweaking with it then school got in the way WHICH IS KILLING ME OMG like I had no idea that moving up a year, and even before the holidays, was going to be this hard and exhausting. So that took up some of my time AND THEN my drama decides they are taking away the scripts in a few days and I started shitting it because I need it to surviveeee but I mostly know them so I hope it'll be okay.
Also this chapter was being a little bitch, like, as I was saying I kept tweaking it because it was just so bad and it still is but I've kinda gave up on it tbh ;^;
Hopefully it makes sense in the right places, give me a heads up if there is something that doesn't make sense or if I have spelt something wrong or whatever, thanks. Sorry for the wait ><
Thank you for reading!!