Accidental Love (Accidental Crush #2) (19 page)

Chapter
20: Interesting Encounter

I'm unfortunately back at work today. Everything I loved about the pool at the beginning of the summer, I've now grown to hate. I've had enough of the sun, enough of my guard chair, enough of the screaming kids—well, I'm not sure I ever loved that part.

"
Hey, you should come tonight. It'll be fun, and it'll be good for you to get out." Casey rubs my arm as we cop-a-squat under our usual air vent to try to cool off during our first break.

"
I don't think so, Casey." I shake my head as I play with the orange-fringe carpet. Sitting here has become a ritual for us on every break.

"
But you're part of the swim team, and it's a party to celebrate the amazing summer we've had. We're undefeated in relay, and a big part of that is thanks to you." He nudges into me with his arm.

"
Thanks. But I'm not really in the party mood." I shrug with my eyes still locked on the carpet.

"
Party? Who said party?"

I look up at him and smile
. "You just did."

As o
ur eyes lock, he gives me his flawless, white smile. Now that summer is almost over, his sun-kissed skin is a deep, golden brown, making his teeth look even whiter and more perfect.

"
Noooo." He shakes his head. "Nope. No party. Just a small get-together at my house with the swim team."

I laugh and shake my head
. "Whatever, Casey."

He wraps his arm around me
. "Come on, Ashley Taylor, say you'll go."

I can
't help but laugh. He clearly isn't giving up. "Okay. I'll go."

"
That's my girl." He squeezes my shoulder with his arm that's still wrapped around me.

"
Hey, Ash." I look up to see Ryan walking by us in the break room. I forgot he was stopping by today to pick up his paycheck. Now that he's back from camp, he's working at the pool again. He gives me a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look, and I want to scream 'He broke up with me. He's the one who kissed some else,' but I don't. I still haven't told Casey, so I ignore the look.

"
Hey, Ry, see you at home," I say, returning his glare, as if to say back off.

I know Todd is coming home tonight
; thus hanging out with the swim team could be a good distraction. This is a day I've looked forward to for so long, and now I'm dreading it. Another thing I'm dreading is, next week, Todd will be back to work at the pool. It's easier when Todd isn't here. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle the breakup with him being so physically close.

One
positive is Ryan and Todd are tight again. Ryan did text him, and they've talked a few times. From what I could tell, listening to the one-sided conversation through the vent, it sounds like Ryan has finally decided to let this be between Todd and me.

I
, on the other hand, haven't been able to bring myself to text him yet. I've typed a million texts, but I can't seem to hit send. It's much easier to hit delete. Todd hasn't texted me, either, so it's not like I have a text to return. At least Ryan and Todd are good, though.

***

As I walk up the steps to Casey's house, I'm in awe. First, there is nothing small about this party. Second, his house is huge. There is an enormous front entry; it's hotel lobby kind of huge. There is a large, round, wooden table with a giant flower arrangement in the center of it. And this is only the front doorway. Then I remember all of my conversations with him about his parents being all for show and not really caring, and it all seems to click.

There are people everywhere
, music is blaring, and it definitely doesn't feel like this party is just starting. I instantly regret that I let him talk me into coming. Why did I come by myself? Oh, I know, because he said it was just the swim team. 'Just the swim team, a small get-together.'
I'm going to kill him!
If I ever find him.

As
I push my way through the crowd, I don't recognize anyone, so I just start asking strangers if anyone has seen Casey. Every single person sends me in a different direction. Not only is this house huge, but it's like a maze, and every room is dark and packed with people. Thankfully, Casey is tall, and I finally see him above the other heads in the third or fourth room I've been through.

He sees me and his smile ignites a feeling I
've never felt with anyone other than Todd. His smile brightens the whole room. He shoves his way through the crowd toward me, and we finally meet in the middle.

"
Small get-together, huh?" I shout over the music.

"
This is my sister's fault. I swear." He holds up his hands innocently.

"
Nice excuse."

"
It was supposed to be a small get-together, but Dylan upped the ante a little."

"
A little?" I stand on my tiptoes and shout as close as I can get to his ear, but I'm still not sure he can hear me over the music.

Then a cute blonde girl I
've never seen before latches onto his arm, clearly she’s been drinking. "Casey, this is a great party, as always."

The smile she gives him says she wants to do more than just talk
, and I almost feel uncomfortable standing here.

"
Court, I think you've had enough," he says, removing her arm from his.

"
Don't be such a buzz kill, Case," she slurs as she walks her fingers up his Polo shirt.

"
Seriously, Courtney, how did you get here; did you drive? You need to go sleep it off in a guest room."

"
What if I want to sleep it off in your room?"

Casey gives me a sideways glance
, as if to say I'm sorry, but she doesn't miss it.

"
Who's this?" She gives me the once-over. I can tell this girl is usually a lot smoother when she isn't completely wasted.

"
This is Ashley. We work together," Casey intercepts before I can answer.

"
Hi. Ashley. Who. Works. With. Casey." She over enunciates each word. "I'm Courtney, Casey's Girlfriend."

Casey pulls her back to put space between us
. "Ex-girlfriend," he clarifies with a smile, and I can tell he's uncomfortable.

"
Oh, please. That's such a tiny, little, unimportant word. Ex," she says with a sarcastic laugh, the sudden movement causing her to stumble.

Casey catches her then locks eyes with me as he holds her up
. "Wait here. I'll be right back. Okay?"

I
nod my head with a smile.

"
Bye, Ashley who works with Casey," she says as he pulls her away. I see him take her toward the stairs, so I just sit down on the nearest couch and wait for him to come back. It's not like I know anyone else here.

As I people watch
, I think about who these kids are. They all live so close to me but have such different lives than I do. I wonder who their parents are and if any of them live in houses this big. Then, from across the room, I see someone I do recognize—RTS.

It
's the first time I've laid eyes on her since the text. Without even thinking, my feet are moving through the crowded room toward her. Before I know it, I'm standing right behind her. I would know her mousy-brown hair anywhere.

Without giving myself
time to think about it, my finger taps her on the shoulder. She turns around, and the shocked expression on her face brings me joy.

"
Expecting someone else?" I say sarcastically.

"
Uh, hi, Ashley." She instinctively backs up a little.

"
What are you doing here?" I ask as if it's my party she's crashing.

"
Casey invited us." She gestures over, and I see Gretchen talking and laughing with girls I've never seen before. One of them looks like Dylan, Casey's sister, but it's hard to tell from here.

My eyes lock on the phone that
's in the hand she's gestured with. That is
the
phone. My stomach lurches like it's on a giant roller coaster.

"
Taking pictures tonight, Rebecca?" I say, full of angry sarcasm. She doesn't need an explanation; she understands exactly what I mean.

She smiles sweetly
. "Are you going to give me a reason to take any?"

I
'm not exactly sure what comes over me, but my fingers curl into a tight fist, then I pull back and slam it as hard as I can into the center of Rebecca's face.
Shit, that hurt, but man, did it feel good.
She stumbles back and almost falls into the people she was talking to a few minutes ago.

The shocked look on her face makes all the pain worth it, even if I did just break my hand. I start to open and close it,
trying to shake it out, but it really hurts.
Why do boys punch things?

I feel a smile form on my face, and the appalled shock on the faces of the strangers surrounding me is strangely satisfying.

RTS
has both of her hands covering her nose, and when she pulls them away, they are covered in blood. Yet another strangely satisfying thing. The crowd starts to pull back and form a circle around us, as crowds usually do when someone is making a scene. I don't care, though.

"
Now you finally got what you deserve!" I scream in her face before she lunges for me.

I brace myself for the blow I know is coming
, but I feel someone pull me back hard, and her fist misses me. The thrust in action causes her to fall to the floor, and I hear a gasp come from the surrounding crowd.

"
What are you doing?" I hear from behind me, and I turn around to see Casey standing there, his arms still wrapped around me. "I told you to wait over there." His head gestures toward the couches. The look of shock and disappointment on his face instantly makes me feel bad.

'
Sorry
,' I mouth to him, and then I see Gretchen run over to help RTS.

"
Hey, Gretch," I say nonchalantly, as if we were passing each other at school.

She looks up and smiles at me from the floor as she tends to her best friend
. "Hey, Ash," she returns my greeting just as casually. Although I know she's being a good friend, I can tell she's amused and agrees with what I've just done.

Casey whispers in my ear,
"Come with me."

I see
RTS's phone lying on the floor and something takes over me. "One second." I hold my finger up to him. Then I walk over to her phone, raise my foot up, and slam the heel of my shoe as hard as I can into the screen, hearing and feeling it shatter underneath me. Then I lean down so my face is inches from hers. "There, now you can't ruin anyone else's life," I shout over the blaring music.

I feel Casey pull me back from around the waist.
"Come on, slugger." He guides me through the crowd of people who've gathered around. "Carry on, people. Nothing to see here," he shouts out to everyone waiting to see what's going to happen next. Amazingly, they listen to him and start to disperse.

He leads the way as he uses his body to help shield my
hand while we wind through the crowded rooms. I have no idea where we're going, but I feel safe with him. Instead of enjoying this moment, it makes me realize how much I miss Todd. I hate myself for thinking that, but honestly, even that thought can't dampen the pure elation I feel for finally giving Rebecca exactly what she deserves. I've wanted to do that for a long time.

We make it into Casey
's kitchen, and not unlike every other room in his house, it is huge. I've never seen a professional restaurant kitchen, but I imagine this is exactly what one would look like if I did. It's enormous and spotless.

"
Wow," I shout, and the echo of my voice in the silence makes me realize I no longer need to talk at that same volume. You can still hear the music, yet it's more muted from the several rooms separating us from the DJ. There are a few people hanging out, though for the most part, we are alone.

"
Does anyone ever actually cook in here?" I can't help asking.

"
Not usually," Casey says as he opens the sub-zero freezer and fills a bag with ice. "Here, this will help." He gently grabs my hand and places it on the homemade ice pack.

"
Have some experience?" I raise my eyebrows sarcastically.

"
You could say that." He smiles at me.

"
It really hurts way more than it looks like on TV." I laugh as I flex my hand.

"
Who knew you had such a bad-ass right hook?" He flashes an impressed grin at me.

I can
't help grinning back with pride. "Who knew is right." I try to flex my hand again. "Hey, sorry about the rug she is currently bleeding all over."