Casey’s POV
It took approximately .005 seconds to realize what I had just done and another .01 seconds to hastily pull away, taking a few steps back.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, horrified with myself. I averted my eyes to the ground hiding my face in my hands.
What did I do?? Why did I do that? I never kiss random boys like that! Okay, Dakota’s not random, but I barely know him! Wait – I’ve never kissed a guy in general before! Oh my gosh that was my first kiss!
I was so focused on my thoughts and my embarrassment that it took me a while to register someone talking to me.
“Casey? Are you okay? Casey, what’s wrong?” I peeked through my fingers to see Dakota staring at me intently, worry written all over his face. I just bit my lip and shook my head unable to respond. “Casey,” his voice grew softer, “is it me? What did I do wrong? I’m sorry, okay, for whatever I did..”
My eyes widened, and I immediately removed my hands from my face, looking him in the eyes.
“No! It’s not you at all! I’m sorry for making you think that, it’s me, it’s totally me,” I spoke quickly, feeling guilty.
He bit his lip, looking unsure of what he was going to say next. “Was I.. bad?”
“EWWW! Nicky, they already did it! They barely know each other!” We both jumped at the sound of the voice, and I’m pretty sure Dakota squealed a little in surprise.
Wait, I know that voice.
Sure enough, I turned to see Oliver and Nick looking guilty as hell behind some bushes.
“Err.. I can explain,” Nick said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Oliver however just looked disgusted.
Ollie poked Nick. “Nicky can you believe that they already did it! Ugh I’m so glad it was over by the time we got here, if we had to see that, I’m pretty sure I’d be scar—“
“Enough Ollie!” Dakota roared, his face cherry red. Mine wasn’t far off either, I could practically feel beads of sweat rolling down my face I was so embarrassed.
Ollie looked at Dakota with wide eyes. “What? I’m just saying-”
“Shut up!” Dakota and I shouted at the same time. We looked at each other, smiles trying to appear on both of our faces.
Giving us a sly look, Ollie smiled, then shrugged before folding his arms. “Fine, fine. I’ll be quiet.”
“Thank you,” Dakota muttered.
“Just don’t let me catch you doing the naughty!” Ollie added in with a mischievous grin.
Dakota groaned. “We didn’t, Ollie. Can you just let me talk?! We didn’t do anything!”
“Then what were you saying about –“
“Nick!” Dakota interrupted, looking pointedly at his brother. Nick nodded knowing exactly what Dakota was trying to say. I think we all got the message, except Ollie apparently.
Nick grabbed Ollie by the shoulders, turning the crazy teenage boy to face him.
“Oliver,” Nick said sternly, Ollie pouting.
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” They stared at each other for a few more seconds, before Nick nodded releasing him.
Not without a quick peck on the lips of course. “Thank you,” Nick told him. Ollie just continued to pout.
“Thanks bro, I owe you,” Dakota said, and Nick gave a stoic nod. “Anyways, like I was saying, Casey and I didn’t do it, we just.. uhh..”
You could tell that Ollie was dying to say something, his eyes were bigger than usual and he was biting down hard on his lip.
“Kissed. That’s it, a little peck on the lips, that’s all,” I told them, and Ollie let out a big squeal.
“Aww! Already? That’s so adorable, I’m so happy for you two!” He leaped over the bushes in an almost majestic way, running to engulf us both in a hug.
“Err, yeah,” Dakota said stiffly, trying to pull away from Ollie. However, he had us in an iron grip and somehow we couldn’t get away until Nick finally pulled Oliver off of us.
“No Nick what are you doing my babies are growing up!” Ollie wailed, trying to struggle out of Nick’s hold.
“Come on Ollie,” Nick grunted out as he dragged him away, “let’s leave them to their business, and go back to the park.”
“But Nickyy,” Ollie whined.
“No buts. Now let’s go,” Nick said, gently kissing Ollie’s cheek. Ollie pouted, but allowed Nick to grab his hand and lead him away from us.
As soon as they were gone, Dakota let out a sigh and sank down into the grass.
“Again, sorry about Oliver, he can be such a child most of the time. I have absolutely no idea how Nick puts up with it all.” Dakota decided to lay on the grass, his arms behind his head.
I copied him, except leaving one hand on the grass.. “It’s okay. You can really tell they love each other, you know?” I said quietly, picking at the thin strands of green that surrounded me.
“Yeah. I kind of wish I had a relationship like theirs. No matter how crazy and childish Ollie gets, Nick puts up with all of it, and Ollie somehow manages to bring the more fun side of Nick out. They really care for each other, and I can see them being together for years. Hell, I can see them getting married. I just want to find the same happiness my brother did, you know?”
I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. “Same.”
We sat there in silence, watching as clouds floated slowly by, wisps of white billowing against the blue.
I’m not sure how long we sat there, or frankly what I was even thinking about, but I was pulled out of my stupor when the screaming started.
It started as a low groaning, and I figured it might be my imagination, or maybe my symptoms were acting up again.
Then it grew louder, and now someone was shouting – no he was shouting.
“Dakota? Dakota, what’s wrong?!” I cried, bolting upright to face him. He was curled up in a ball, shouting and screaming nonsense. “Dakota, answer me!” I yelled back, gently touching his back.
He recoiled from me lightning fast, uncurling and hurled himself a few feet away within seconds.
“No, no,” he murmured, grey eyes bright and frightened.
“Dakota?” I whimpered, unsure of what was happening. I slowly inched towards him, but he just pointed an accusing finger at me.
“It was you! You did it!” he shrieked, and I paused.
What’s happening? Is this my symptoms? My imagination? I took my medicine.. it seems so real.. but this is Dakota! He wouldn’t act like this! It must be my symptoms, that’s the only way this can actually be happening.
“Dakota,” I whispered, and he stood up, visibly trembling.
“S-stay away! Get away! Go away!” he yelled, and I remained sitting on the ground.
I couldn’t process it. What was happening? What is he doing?
“Leave me alone!” he yelled, before bolting, leaving me in the clearing alone.
“No! Why are you doing this now!” I yelled at myself, refusing to believe that Dakota would actually act like this. There was just no way, he was the normal one and I was the crazie. “You stupid disorder! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?! Was this all a hallucination? Nick and Ollie never really here?” I let out a bitter laugh, staring at the space where ‘Dakota’ was.
“Was this all my imagination? The text. The meeting. The kiss I shared with Dakota. Everything, a lie? Dakota would never act like that, he acted as if he were crazy! That’s not possible though, I’m the crazy one,” I rambled to myself, images appearing in my mind.
It was basically everything that had just happened, except it was just me. Talking to myself, alone in the woods, no people in the bushes, no Dakota pulling me towards the clearing, no Dakota catching me as I stumbled.
“You really think that he would want to hang out with you?” I started hearing them again, the voices sneering at me.
“God you’re such an idiot, nobody wants to hang out with you!”
“You’re a loser, why would anyone voluntarily want to get to know you?”
“Stupid.”
“Idiot.”
“Moron.”
“Stop, stop please,” I whimpered, tears slipping out. So this was all a lie?
“Of course it was a lie!”
“Are you too stupid to realize it already?”
“We’ve practically told you that you were imagining meeting him here!”
“So fucking blind that you can’t even see the proof in front of your own face.”
“Pathetic.”
“No! No it can’t be! How could this happen, I don’t understand,” I sobbed, tears soaking my skin and my clothes.
Dakota.. Dakota, why?
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SURPRISE!:D two updates! i know, i'm amazing ;P lol jk but like.. did anyone else get really sad at the end? :( it was all happy with ollie then it was like BAM sobfest. dayum i need to stop.
a LOT will be explained next chapter [and i mean a LOT] so uh, stay tuned? XD sorry if this chapter seems rushed or anything i may go back and edit later .-.