These Four Walls ((Carson))

[Casey Allen G5]

“How would you describe your music, Eden?” What a great question. Pop? Rock? Annoying? Done? Any of those would fit. “Umm, it’s defiantly unique. I don’t want to sound like anyone else. I want to sound like me.” And that was all true. Well, together the statements were true. Eden sounded unique and she sounded like herself. But she didn’t sound like Casey and Casey was Eden Sweden. This thought alone made Casey’s head hurt. She shook her head lightly as she shifted on her bed; the small cell phone clung to her hand. “Great.” The voice on the other end of the line commented. “So, what can we expect from your new album?” Umm. Casey herself didn’t know the answer to that because in all truth, Casey didn’t want her next album to be as Eden Sweden. She wanted it to be as Casey Allen. “It will defiantly be unexpected.” She answered nodding. “Awesome. We’ll thanks for chatting. We’ll send you a copy of the magazine. “Okay, thanks.” She replied before she hung up the phone. Casey fell back on her bed. Confusing. Her life was defiantly confusing. Casey had so many questions running through her brain. And the whole Carson situation only complicated things. Time to think? What did that even mean? Casey shook her head before jumping off her bed. She couldn’t stand to sit around like a dud for one more second.

Bradley wanted Casey to do the interview properly which in Bradley speak meant in person, but Casey wasn’t in the condition to see anyone face to face. They would see her expression with all the questions on her face. They would know that she was lying most of the time or keeping something and it was true. Bradley promised that she could reveal her true identity whenever she wanted to. But her label wasn’t quite sure. Scene was skeptical on whether people would still be interested in her music when she was Casey Alley. Casey was wondering that too but she didn’t care. She didn’t want her next album to be about what her fans wanted. For once, she wanted it to be about what she wanted. Casey wanted this next album to be her music, not Bradley’s. She wanted it to mean something for her. But Scene had to make that decision. Casey couldn’t make it.

Casey shook out her wavy brown hair as she left the common room. She looked around for Ezzie, but there was no telling where she was for the moment. Ezzie seemed happier than usual for the time being and Casey hoped that would last. Now Casey didn’t approve of TJ, but so far, Ezzie wasn’t in tears, which was a good thing. Casey just wanted her best-friend to be happy. After all, it hadn’t even been a year since Ethan’s death. It was weird that Ezzie was moving on. Casey saw Ethan and Ezzie together and when they weren’t mad at each other or broken up, they were happy. The balanced each other out in some ways and Casey missed seeing them together. Still, the world went on and sadly it went on without Ethan Jacobs. Casey was used to this by now but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. Casey shook her head letting thoughts of Ethan take over much of her mind. She missed her friend, but she didn’t want to think about it anyone. Ethan was just another thing to clog her mind right now. Casey didn’t want that. She wanted a new mind. She just wanted to start all over.

“These four walls. They whisper to me. They know a secret. I knew they would not keep.” Casey sang lightly as she walked about a corridor on the second floor. “This was a song Casey had written with Kaden right after her fight with Carson. It had calmed her than and it was still working its magic. But while singing the song, she realized she just wanted the walls in her head to fade. She wanted Eden gone. She didn’t want to think about Ethan. She wanted things with Carson to go back to normal even if she was still mad at him. But was it possible? Casey wanted it to be but she was also prepared to move on. She could move on with her life without him even if she didn’t want to. After all, this was only her first love, maybe she could move forward, but she didn’t want to. She wanted those stupid walls in her life gone. She wanted Carson and that was it. But Casey was old enough to know that she couldn’t get everything she wanted. Casey shook her head. “Didn't take long for the room to fill with trust and these four walls came down around us.” Casey continued to sing her song with her eyes looking to the ceiling until she collided head on with someone. “Ouch!” She shrieked after she fell backwards onto her back. Casey held her forehead in pain. She seemed okay. It wasn’t bleeding, but it was throbbing pretty hard. After a minute of staring up at the ceiling, Casey edged her face slightly to see the other person. She winced in pain at her action and then she winced again when she realized who she hit. “Carson!” She called. “Are you okay?” She closed her eyes, her forehead still throbbing. She still couldn’t tell if she injured him or not. She closed her eyes trying to determine if this was really happening. It was. Great. Casey winced again before eyeing Carson.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Why had Carson agreed to this again? He didn’t want to be a part of anything these days. He was totally and completely disconnected from the world. The normal kind, considerate person he usually was had gone out the window the second he found out about Casey’s big secret. He hadn’t really talked to her at all since the end of the tour, since he didn’t even ride with Casey and Ezzie on the train. He sat the entire time with the Prefects and patrolled the corridors for any trouble. He just needed something to occupy his mind so he wouldn’t go punching any walls out. Work had become sort of a necessity for Carson ever since Ethan died. He needed to be distracted. If he kept his mind busy at work doing anything that needed to be done, he wouldn’t have to think about the pains and heartaches that were all buried deep inside of him. Sure, bottling up all his emotions probably wasn’t the safest of things to do, especially when this was Carson we’re talking about, the one who almost knocked the stuffing out of a punching bag the day Casey told him about her secret. However, it was Carson’s method of dealing with stress and tough emotions, so he was going to stick with it.

However, one of the things that Carson had chosen to busy himself with this time was the Hufflepuff Halloween party. He had been chosen to supervise the festivities and make sure no one was getting into trouble. He’d decided on not even bothering with a costume, who even cared? Carson had been a very anti-social grouch lately anyway, so it wasn’t like someone was going to come up to him and say anything.He sighed rather sadly as he magically put up the decorations and placed snacks and candy on the multi-colored table. He could have been out and about with Ezzie and Casey right now, but sadly Casey couldn’t stand him right now, and Carson wasn’t sure he’d even be able to stand being a few feet from the girl.

He looked around the large spacious common room. No one had arrived yet, so he decided to take a seat by the fire and read an old Quidditch book (that Carson sadly remembered used to be Ethan’s) while he waited for the party to start. Carson had no intention of taking part in the festivities, so he figured he’d just sit there looking angry at the world for the entire time and watch as everyone else enjoyed the Halloween festivities. But Carson definitely wasn’t in a fun kind of mood right now. In fact. He’d be up in his dorm room right now if it wasn’t for the fact that he literally had to babysit all the kids there. Carson sighed, grabbing a bowl of chips, wondering where everyone was. Carson yawned slightly, for he had once again endured a rough, not to mention long night. He’d dreamed about the fun times he’d had with Casey and the happiness he felt while Ethan was alive. But then the dream sadly ended with Casey leaving him as she placed a blonde wig on her forehead saying the exact same thing Casey had told him the night Casey’s big secret was revealed. ”I’m sorry, Carson…I just didn’t know how to tell you…”


Carson grumbled miserably as the guests begun to arrive. Sophia had also assisted in the festivities, so he figured now that she was here it would be okay for him to leave. So, that’s what he did. Carson got up and walked outside, his feet somehow leading him towards the Gryffindor common room. He sighed, wondering what Casey was doing right now. He had been wondering this a lot lately, actually. He was over the whole Casey thing. He was still a bit angry that he had been lying for so long, but he had gotten used to the idea of Casey being Eden Sweden ages ago. He just wasn’t sure how to tell her that. He doubted she’d even want him back after all the things he’d said, so he figured he’d just ignore her until the problem went away. But he couldn’t ignore her now, that he had just crashed right into her. Carson looked around and attempted to help Casey back up on her feet. She was massaging her head, which seemed to be in pain and asked him if he was alright. He cleared his throat, barely able to speak. “Yeah, um I’m fine. I think you got the worst of the crash, actually. Is your head okay?”

((I’m so embarrassed this took me soo long. I’m sorry! Hope it’s okay that I made this on Halloween night. Don’t think I remember you mentioning what time of year it was.))

[Casey Allen G5]

It was Halloween. Last year Casey had enjoyed the festivities with her best-friends, but that wasn’t going to happen this year. For one thing, Ethan was dead. He couldn’t join in the fun if Casey wanted him to which she really did. Also, Ezzie was off somewhere with TJ and Carson was still steamed with her. He handled it exactly how Casey thought he would. Badly. Carson always had a bit of a temper, but Casey was used to it, or so she thought. He completely blew up. She hadn’t spoken to him sense. Casey wanted to just grab him and talk some sense into him, but she wasn’t about to push him away even more. Casey missed him more than he knew. Casey knew it was her fault, but maybe Carson did take it a bit far. She didn’t know how to tell him. Plus, she wanted to protect him. Did he have any idea what people would do to find out what was really going on with Eden Sweden? This was the juiciest secret around and people would do anything to get it. Casey never wanted Carson to be at risk. She had tons of reasons for keeping it from him, but now he knew. And Casey was just as unhappy with herself as she was before.

Casey wanted to run and hide as soon as she realized it was Carson she hit. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? If she ran away would he think she was crazy? Yea, probably. Casey shook her head. She couldn’t run away like a five year old. No! She could do this. She could! She could? Casey was doubting herself left and right. She finally took a deep breath and sat up, not wanting to leave the ground. Casey looked up to Carson. She nodded after a moment. “Yea.” She felt a little dizzy actually. Casey moved a bit as to get on her feet, but her head spun so she decided to stay right where she was. “Well I will be. I just need a minute.” She corrected as she eyed the ground. She didn’t want to look into his eyes. Would there be hurt there? Pain? Or had he already forgiven her? Not likely. Forgiveness wasn’t exactly one of Carson’s most endearing qualities. But Casey felt sure that she didn’t deserve it. Maybe Carson would feel differently but Casey doubted it.

She finally looked back up to him. “I really should hire someone to make sure I don’t fall.” She joked trying to make some kind of small talk. That would be better than him yelling at her or telling her that they were over for good. That was Casey’s biggest fear. They both said some hurtful things that night. But they were both upset. Casey hadn’t been thinking clearly when she told him he had a jealousy problem. That might have been a little too much, but Casey was too stubborn. She wasn’t about to apologize for that. But there were other things she could apologize for. Casey eyed Carson numbly for a second. She had to say something that wasn’t stupid chit-chat. She didn’t want to gravel or anything of the sort. She just wanted to do something to make it better somehow. She had to do something. “So I..” She started and then stopped. Casey shook her head and slowly got to her feet. “I’ve made a decision.” She told him. “I’m not going to be Eden Sweden anymore.” She explained. Casey made sure that no one was around before she had that. That was all Casey could say for the moment. Maybe Carson would be happy. Maybe this was what he wanted. Casey didn’t know if it would help or hurt, but there it was. And it was the truth.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson didn't know what to make of this whole situation. He wasn't really sure whether or not Casey even wanted to hold a decent conversation with him, though she seemed to be friendly enough. Carson wasn't sure how he'd react to her actions and what she was doing. They had said many things they didn't mean, things they had never really wanted to say. Carson had never meant to hurt Casey, he still remembered seeing those tears brim in those beautiful brown eyes of hers. It pained him to know that the heart he had tried so hard to protect all those months was the very same heart that he had so carelessly broken the day he discovered Casey's secret. He had been her guardian even before they had gotten together officially, and it hurt him still that this time, he had been the one to hurt her.

But Carson had perfect reason to be irrational, didn't he? Not only had Carson hurt Casey, but Casey had hurt Carson too. She had purposely kept that secret from him, had spent countless hours with him both as Eden and as Casey and never had she bothered to tell Carson who she really was. Carson was even beginning to develop a bit of a crush for Eden (though he tried to supress it because of Casey) and now he knew why. Carson wasn't even sure if he could trust her anymore, but he sure as hell did love her. Carson sighed, running his fingers nervously through his hair like he always did when he was in an awkward position. He shuffled his feet, noticing that Casey was avoiding his eyes. He didn't blame her. He tried not to look into those coffee brown orbs as well, he didn't want to see any sort of emotion that was sure to be hidden there. She was probably still angry with him. He had acted like an ass. He was surprise he hadn't been greeted with a nice smack across the face. That would have been more what Casey should have done. Instead, she was making small talk, avoiding the subject as if she didn't want to talk about the night when their relationship had collapsed. He managed a small polite smirk at Casey's little joke. She was pretty clutzy at times. Her crazy nature was always so adorable to Carson for some reason, no matter how mad he was at her.

"Well god knows you could afford it.." Carson managed to blurt out, having no idea how mean the comment was until after he said it. Only then did he clear his throat, stutter, and try to salvage the conversation. "Wow, um...I didn't mean it that way Casey...I just meant umm...wow I'm an ass." Carson mumbled to Casey, his face flushing slightly. How did he always manage to get himself in such situations? Why couldn't he just stay in his common room and do what he was supposed to? Then he wouldn't be in this near empty corridor with his very first ex-girlfriend. At that very moment, as Carson watched Casey intently for the very first time since they had split up, Carson realized something. He didn't want to be Casey's ex boyfriend anymore. He honestly thought he would never be able to find anyone as fantastic as she was. So, without another moment's notice, Carson finally stood up. "Umm...I think that if revealing your secret makes you happy, I'm all for it. And uhh...before I lose all my courage..." Carson said with a slightly embarrased smile before continuing, "I'm really sorry about the whole breakup thing. I mean, I didn't mean most of the things I said..I mean, I was hurt, don't get me wrong, but I completely understand why you had to keep the whole 'Eden' thing a secret from me." Carson sighed. "And I'm perfectly fine walking away like we were right before Ethan and all this mess. No more than just friends. Or we can walk away and handle things the way we have been this year...though I have to say I'd be pretty lonely." Carson said with a small smirk.

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey had about twenty thoughts swirling around in her head at once. Did he hate her? Did he even want to talk to her? Well he was talking so that was a good sign. Part of Casey just wanted to run and hide, but then she reminded herself that Carson cared about her. Or at least he used to. That had to count for something, right? Really he couldn’t be over her or anything of the sort, could he? Casey couldn’t shake that thought off and sighed in retaliation. Running seemed like a good idea. Casey had been looking at the ceiling mainly, but she finally averted her eyes to him. They didn’t seem angry. She didn’t see any anger in them for the moment, but that could change. There was something new in them, but Casey couldn’t put her finger on it. He looked..nervous. The great protector Carson McGreggor nervous? Carson had always been the bodyguard for Casey and Ezzie. He seemed untouchable, but maybe he had a weakness. Casey had never thought of herself that way before. Could she be Carson’s one weakness? It couldn’t be possible. Carson was indestructible, right?

Casey eyed Carson at his comment. She could see in his face that he didn’t mean what he said that way, but his words..Casey was about to snap at him but he quickly apologized. Her eyes quickly changed back from rage to kindness. Carson still looked nervous. Casey wanted to mumble something quickly but instead she took a deep breath. “It’s okay.” She told him surely. “I can. Well Eden can. Casey still has an allowance.” She smiled slightly at the sound of her own name. Her eyes flickered back to him. “It’s complicated I know..” She muttered. She wasn’t going to explain herself anymore. She was who she was. Even if Casey wanted more than anything to give Eden up. She was Eden for the time being. She had lied, told the truth, and apologized. The rest was up to Carson. Casey couldn’t make up his mind for him even if she wanted to. This was something that Carson had to figure out all on his own. She smiled again when he called himself a butt. “Sometimes maybe.” She joked with him. Maybe that was okay. For a moment it seemed like the old times again. You know, Casey and Carson joking around and having fun. Casey wanted for it to be that was again so badly. But could things go back to the way they used to be?

Casey’s face was pale as she waited for Carson to respond to what she told him. He said he was fine with it. “It’s what you want, isn’t it?” She asked him. Casey wanted to give it all up but a part of it had been because of Carson. She would do anything for him. Anything. Maybe he couldn’t handle this. But then again, if Casey told her secret she would be famous Casey Allen. Could he deal with that? “But it will make me happy. I’m tired of the lies.” Her eyes flickered to his. “They hurt too many people.” She confessed but he knew that. And then he said the words that Casey had been hoping to hear. But still she was surprised that he said them. “You do?” She asked. “Carson I know you’re usually the protector, but I was playing that card this time.” She explained. “And I’m sorry that I hurt you.” She had to say it that time. And when she did she felt a lot better. She smiled slightly. “I’m a horrible friend.” She said taking two steps toward him. “And I’ve been lonely to. But you have to know something first. When I tell my secret I might not be Eden anymore, but I’ll be famous Casey Allen.” She breathed. “Will you be okay with that? With being the singer’s boyfriend?” She asked seriously. She had to know the truth before they went any further.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

((Haha. Carson, the super cool protector. I feel like such a cool kid now. Sorry the reply was so quick. Had lots of inspiration lately.))

Carson was completely at a loss for words, now more than ever since their conversation started. He wasn't really sure what to say about all of this. Ever since the school year started, he'd completely avoided her. They were in different houses and different years, so if he wanted to, he could very easily see to it that he didn't have to look at Casey Allen. Up until now, he'd seen Casey briefly plenty of times. His body couldn't help but heat up and his anger levels couldn't help but shoot up every time he saw some little fifth year talking to her. He hated the possibility that Casey could end up with someone else. He remembered seeing some over confident Gryffindor jerk in the year below walking her to her class. It was obvious that he liked her. How couldn't he? Casey was the most beautiful girl he'd seen in his life! He tried to convince himself he was over the fifth year, but he just couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. Just the thought of her drove him crazy.

Carson had once again thrown himself into his studies, into his prefect duties. He remembered all the events of the previous years. He and Ethan were the dynamic duo of the school. They were always testing boundaries. They'd never been ones for pranks, but they ruled the school. Their only rules were to have the time of their lives. Carson supposed he liked it that way, but that only worked for him because he really didn't need to distract himself from his life. Sure there were issues with his family, but that could easily be ignored or controlled. He had never liked that his older sister and guardian hated his aunt and uncle with such a passion, but most of the fighting was over now that they'd gone their seperate ways. They simply ignored each other, and all was pretty much fine that way. But now that Ethan was gone and there were all these issues with Casey and her 'Eden' situation, work was Carson's only outlet, and he used it. He was sure he was almost as smart as a few of the Ravenclaws in his year now. Angel would be proud.

Carson had always expected to grow some sort of liking for Angel, but she had always been like a sister or close friend to him. He kept in contact with her still, and she advised him (being the natural romantic she was) to try and get back together with Casey. It was odd that even despite Julie's predictions (she'd never been too good at Divination) Angel had not been the one Carson had chosen for himself. Well...for now anyway. Carson wasn't sure what his expectations were for his relationship with Casey, in fact, for all he knew, maybe her intentions were to just be friends. She hadn't given him an answer yet. She did ask an interesting question though. That's what you wanted, isn't it? She had asked, as if Carson's opinion mattered in such an important decision. "Well, I want whatever makes you happy and whatever's best for you." God Carson, you sound like her dad, for crying out loud! Lighten up! Carson thought to himself in slight frustration.

"And I guess if revealing yourself to the world is going to make you happy, then I definitely support it. I can even be there when you do it if you want me too. The band too. We'll all be there." He suggested, his stomach settling a bit. He wasn't as nervous as before, now that he knew Casey wasn't going to start yelling at him. "And of course I'd be able to deal with it! As long as there's no more secrets between us, I'm perfectly fine playing Casey's bodyguard again, if that's what you want. The reason I was angry in the first place is..well, you know I have anger issues, that's no secret. I was mad you kept such a big secret from me, not that you had the secret to begin with. And I blew things out of proportion. I shouldn't have done that..." Carson babbled on and on about everything that had been on his mind these past few months.

Even though he said he'd be fine with it, in all honesty he wasn't exactly sure how he would deal. He knew he'd be able to, but the question was only how. It was going to put a lot of stress on his body and mind, because he had seen what the media could do to a person. He saw Ezzie fall apart right before his eyes all because of the media and the damned reporters and paparazzi. How was he supposted to protect himself as well as Casey from all of that? Sure, he was going to have help, but still. He wouldn't be able to go out in public anymore. He'd automatically be 'Casey Allen's boyfriend' and nothing more. Life as he knew it would never be the same again. At that moment in time, Carson wasn't sure how he was going to deal with such a sudden change. What Carson was sure of though, was that he'd find a way to deal with it. He had to, didn't he? He had to find a way to get over it, because Casey was too precious to lose again. He smiled once more, just to reassure her as he stepped forward a bit so they were much closer than before. Her last words made Carson's heart skip. He didn't tear his dark brown eyes away from Casey's coffee colored ones as he spoke his next words. "Do you really mean that? You'd be willing to give us another try?" He asked suddenly. He figured after their rough breakup, he'd be lucky if Casey ever wanted to even be friends again. But if they were a couple again, Carson was sure he'd be the happiest sixteen year old in the world. Or at least...for the moment.

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey missed him. She missed this. She just missed talking to him like the old days. Old days? They fight had only been weeks before. But still, Casey hadn’t talked to Carson in ages. And there were still those moments where everything felt normal. It would be easy to go back to how things used to be. But could they do it? Casey wanted nothing more than for things to be normal again. Then her life would finally start to shift back into place. Things seemed out of place without Carson. She was lost without him. Casey finally stopped staring at the ceiling. What was the point? Things felt right like this. They missed each other. Things could go back to how they used to be, right? But some questions remained. Could Carson be Casey Allen’s boyfriend? Casey’s life would never be the same once the truth came out. Could Carson handle that? Better yet could Casey handle that? She wasn’t sure but she had to. Casey couldn’t lie anymore. This was the only way to get her life back. Casey couldn’t be Eden Sweden anymore and that was that.

Carson finally spoke again. He wanted her to be happy? Well of course he did but it felt weird for him to say that. Just because before it seemed that Carson didn’t want Casey to be Eden. So if she stayed Eden would he be happy? But for some reason, Casey believed him now. Carson wouldn’t dare lie to her now. And Casey wouldn’t lie to him again. She just couldn’t hurt him like that again. Casey would do what was best for her. She had to. But she wanted Carson on her side. He had to be or things just didn’t feel right. In truth, if Carson told her not to, Casey probably wouldn’t. He was too important to her. They had been through a lot in the past year, but Casey didn’t want to live without him ever. She wanted him by her side no matter what. And she would do whatever it took for it to be that way again.

Casey smiled. “This is what I want. The lies are too much.” She sighed as smiled lightly looking straight into his eyes. “This will make me happy.” She confided. It seemed that he understood. It seemed that he hated being away from her just as much as Casey hated being away from him. Some girls in the dorm tried to convince Casey to move on, but she couldn’t. In truth, she didn’t want to move on. Not even a little bit. She did talk to one boy in her year, but she didn’t listen to a single thing he said. All she could think about was Carson and that was the way it had always been. Casey smiled. “You’re the best.” She said sincerely. “I want you there. And the guys. Kaden has tried to convince me to drop Eden since day one.” She paused. “He’s right. She’s tying me down. She’s forcing me to stick to one image and one song style. I want to branch out a little. Move forward a bit.” And this was true. Over the summer Casey and Kaden wrote some amazing songs together. In truth, Casey could write a whole album without Bradley now, but she wanted his help of course. Casey wanted her next album to be by Casey Allen and she would do everything she could to make it that way.

Casey nodded quickly. “No more secrets I promise. Casey nodded. “We both have things we’re sorry for, but it’s in the past.” She sighed. “I missed you so much. I just want things to be normal between us again.”She said hoping he would agree. Carson seemed to what Casey back in his life as well. She smiled. “Ezzie’s gonna scream when she hears about that.” Casey said as she stepped toward him and reached out her arms to hug him. It felt right. It felt natural for Casey to be in his arms. She never wanted to leave. Casey wanted to be with Carson McGreggor forever, but she was too afraid to tell him. Casey didn’t want him to run away from her again. She couldn’t stand that. Casey leaned back and smiled her half-smile at him. She never ever wanted to be apart from him again. Casey knew it was sappy and she knew that they were young but she didn’t care. This was enough for now. It was.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson didn’t know what to say. He was just so happy that this was all over and done with. He didn’t like seeing Casey upset, not one bit. Carson didn’t think himself to be the kind of person to get upset too easily,. However, the thing that killed him the most for the past few weeks was that he had been the one to cause her sadness. It got him angry enough that someone else had made her unhappy, but when the blame was put on Carson? That just wasn’t acceptable in his eyes. Even though Carson was somewhat angry at her these past few weeks, it killed him inside knowing that Casey could be crying herself to sleep in her dormitory, and it could all be because of him. Carson hadn’t been mad at Casey for awhile, simply too afraid to approach her in fear she’d yell at him or tell him just how much of an arse he really was. He would see her in the Student Lounge with Ezzie and a couple of other friends in their study groups, and it would kill him even more inside that he couldn’t be over there with her, helping her with that Potions essay she was struggling with, even if maybe he didn‘t know the topic all too well himself. It seemed like something really little, but every time he’d see Casey and remember he couldn’t join her or go say hello, his anger levels rose to a point where he could burst. But he kept his fists clenched and held his tongue until they left the room. But he was glad that was all over.

However, even though their personal problems were over (and thank the lord for that) Carson still had other things to worry about. Carson didn’t know why there was always some kind of problem ahead, but he figured facing it the best way he could was the smartest thing to do. How else could one ever resolve their problems if they didn’t at least attempt to face them like a man? Now, as if the three teens hadn’t already suffered enough, there was the issue of Casey’s secret. Carson wasn’t sure what he thought about her idea of telling the world what she was hiding, but he figured if she was going to tell the world, she may as well tell them all herself before some stupid reporter like Holly Sinclair beat her to the punch. Then the outcome would be terrible. Either way though, this wasn’t going to end well and Carson knew it. If she continued living with her secret, not only would it make her unhappy, but she’d also have to keep living with the fear that the wrong person would overhear her conversation and all she had worked for would be over. But the alternative wasn’t much better either. How was Casey going to deal with all the added media attention?

Carson wasn’t worried at all about how he’d handle it. Carson was strong, he was a man. He’d be able to handle a few paparazzi here and there. He’d been Ethan Jacob’s best friend for almost seven years, and even though Ethan’s fame before his death was nothing compared to what it was now, Carson was no stranger to helping his friends doge the media. He’d done it for Ezzie to, so it wasn’t going to be too hard for him. But in all fairness, Casey wasn’t as strong as he was. He worried for her. He’d try to protect her as best as he could, but he couldn’t smother her of course. She was strong, right?

Carson sighed as he more than gladly accepted her hug. He embraced her thin form gratefully. He had gone so long without holding her, without even talking to her. He inhaled the scent of her, she was like his drug. She smelled of sweet lavender, though her perfume wasn’t all too overpowering like some girls’ could be. He could walk by a crowd of girls and along with all their incessant giggling and he’d barely be able to breathe because of their horrid perfume. He sighed and pulled back, ending the hug for a moment. “I really missed this, Casey.” He said softly, and he leaned closer to her. Not to hug her this time, but to kiss her. His lips parted slightly and Carson remembered what exactly he’d been missing. What he didn’t remember however, was why he had ever been mad at her in the first place.

[Casey Allen G5]

It was going to be better now. Casey could feel it. Things felt right. They felt normal again. Before Casey was just doing things because she had to. She did all her homework, attended all her classes, and made all her Eden appearances, but she felt empty. She felt that a part of her was missing even though she knew this was corny. Carson was more than her boyfriend. He was her other best-friend and Casey would never lose that again. She couldn’t stand it if she did. Now things were going to be different but Casey hoped that this was a good thing. Carson knew the truth and she didn’t have to hide anything from him. That was a good thing. Casey was thrilled that she didn’t have to be Eden Sweden anymore. There was still her label to consider but Casey could change their minds. She could. Eden Sweden was their top selling artist. They wouldn’t lose her even if she was Casey. It was too big a risk. Finally things would feel normal. Casey could be a singer just the way she was. Her life would never be the same again and she knew this. But with Carson by her side again, Casey knew everything would work out fine.

Now all Casey had to do was tell her secret. How was that going to work? She had to do it just right. She couldn’t mess this up. It was a relief to know that Carson would be there and Casey knew Ezzie would to. Casey knew things were going to change but how much? Would her life still be a little normal? Could she still go to classes like nothing was wrong or would she have to stay locked up in her dorm most of the time? These questions raced through Casey’s head and she would say them but she didn’t want to risk anything upsetting Carson. This would be a lot for him to get used to. He was used to Ezzie being famous even Ethan had been famous because of his family, but Casey was a different story. Casey wondered is Carson could handle Casey being famous or would he be completely jealous of any male attention Casey got. She hoped not but she knew only time would tell. Too bad time was the one thing Casey was afraid of.

Casey smiled as Carson tightened his hold on her. She missed him. She missed this. While they weren’t talking she couldn’t stop thinking about him, his perfect smooth skin, his curly brown hair. To Casey, he was near perfection and he always would be. Casey’s smiled spread when Carson said he missed this and she was about to reply until Carson leaned in to kiss her. Her lips instantly melted into his and Casey’s cheeks immediately changed to a light pink. This was how things were supposed to be. Maybe it wasn’t a fairy tale but it was good enough for Casey. Without him things just felt wrong. Her life was out of place. Everything felt right in his arms and this was exactly where Casey wanted to be. Forever and always.