Part Seven!
This story is getting VERY hard to write. I know where I want to take it, but I'm thinking of skipping ahead, making an Äct Two"of sorts. We'll hafta see... meanwhile, hope you enjoy this next installment... :)
Title: "Standing Up (Part Seven)"
Pairing: C/Z, Z/OFC
Rating: PG-13 for language
Synopsis: Maybe things can get better, depending...
All Casey wanted was to grab his things and go, but Gilda was waiting at the door. “I’m just here to get my stuff, I’m staying at Stan’s,” he said in a blank voice, going to move around her. She put her hand to his shoulder, stopping him.
“Wait…”
“For what?” he said, shrugging her off. Looking at her, he was surprised to see her face looking solemn, even apologetic.
“Casey… I’m sorry, okay?” she started. His jaw tensed, but he stayed in his spot. “I was really rude to you… I’ve BEEN really rude to you. Zeke called… he kinda told me off for the things I did. I’d figured you went to see him, and I… I don’t want anymore trouble.”
“Then maybe you should stop making it.” Casey told her. She sighed deeply.
“Look… even without him calling I felt bad. But I promised him I would stop acting out. I can be a real bitch, and unfortunately… I’ve taken it out on you,” she said. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
Casey’s chest loosened, the stress of the day starting to slip away. “I dunno. Just… don’t worry about it,” he told her, leaning on the stairway railing. He thought a moment; she’d apologized before and went back on it. This time however, it DID feel real. “I’ll tell Stan that I’m staying. But just… leave me be tonight, okay? I’m not in a very good mood,”
“All right,” she said.
Casey nodded and headed back outside, walking to the car. Stan looked at him quizzically as he opened the door and leaned in. “I think I’ll be fine, Stan,” he started, taking a deep breath. “I guess Zeke called, and she apologized profusely,”
Stan cocked an eyebrow. “You sure? The last few days have been… weird with her,”
“Yea. If she starts up again, I’ll just haul off and pitch her down the stairs,” Casey said, trying to smile. Stan smiled back and shook his head.
“All right. Call if you need anything; I have late classes tomorrow anyways, so I’ll be staying up,”
“All right, Stan. Thanks, for everything,” Casey told him. Stan smiled wider.
“Anytime,” he returned. Casey got out and shut the door; Stan drove off as he walked back up the steps to the house. Once inside, he got his coat, gloves and scarf off, hanging them on the chair by the door. He ran his fingers through his hair and walked into the kitchen, groaning. He needed something to get the chill out of his bones.
He was glad to see that a full pot of coffee was made; not caring if Gilda wanted to drink every last bit of it, he poured some into a mug, creamed and sugared it, then walked to the living room. Gilda was just standing up from her seat on the couch.
“I’m going to bed. See ya in the morning,” she said, accentuating her speech with a heavy yawn.
“Yea, okay,” Casey said. He set his mug down on the coffee table and laid back, watching as Gilda went up the stairs. Sighing, he turned to the television, where a commercial on soup blared. It served more as a distraction than anything else. Still, his thoughts ran wild on the events of this night…
The way Zeke had looked at him, outright gazed was enough to make Casey’s stomach queasy. After the awful events last fall, Zeke’s general demeanor towards Casey had switched from ignorance to smiles, always tagging along with him in the halls or lunch, wherever. Casey had come to realize that while Zeke was never messed around with at school, he had been a loner as well. Sure he had various girlfriends throughout high school, but never were they important enough to stick around, or even be seen with him, holding hands and the like.
The night things changed from simple friendship to… whatever this was for Casey, he and the four others had gotten together as a sort of ‘pre-graduation’ party at Stokely’s. Most of the celebrations centered on Zeke, seeing as he was graduating; ‘Finally!!!’ was the usual friendly jibe. Zeke had taken it in stride, knowing everyone was truly happy for him; in fact, Zeke was the most jovial than Casey had ever witnessed him being. At one point they’d converged to the backyard, where Stokely’s younger sister’s trampoline was. Zeke had immediately climbed onto it and began jumping, trying to flip or do various ridiculous tricks. As they all watched and laughed he’d turned to Casey and smiled.
“Wanna fly?” he’d said. Casey chuckled and climbed on. Zeke told him to sit down, so Casey did. That’s when Zeke made well calculated jumps, sending Casey instantly bouncing so high, he squeaked in shock. Everyone watching was also yelping and yelling, calling out “HOLY SHIT!! Did you see how fucking HIGH Casey got??” or “DON’T KILL HIM!!!” All the while Casey laughed until his stomach hurt; Zeke made one final jump that sent him sprawling into the air like a rag doll. Before he could land on the edge and fall off, Zeke dived towards him and grabbed his arm, making him come to a sudden yet bouncy stand. They both giggled heartily before Zeke began jumping again, this time holding Casey’s arms. They bounced and bounced and bounced, Casey never feeling so good in his life.
He made the mistake of looking at Zeke’s face, finding pure happiness and joy residing in his eyes, an enormous smile on his lips. That’s when Casey realized for the first time ever that he wanted to kiss those lips more than anything else.
Casey shut off the television and closed his eyes, wishing for sleep to find him quickly.
It was the knocking on the door that awoke Casey; it sounded off worse than a clock alarm would, sending his upper body flying up from sleep awkwardly. “Gah…” he yelped out, just as Gilda was coming down the stairs in a hurry.
“Casey, didn’t you hear the door??” she said with wide eyed shock. He shook his head as she opened it, clutching her robe to her body. “Oh… um, yes?”
“Hello… I’m Mrs. Connor. Is, er, my son Casey here??”
Casey didn’t know if his eyes could widen any further than they had already in hearing his mother, right outside on the porch. He shifted his legs over the side of the couch, hearing Gilda speaking. “Oh yea… sure, he’s here. C’mon in,”
“Thank you… it’s very chilly out today,” Mrs. Connor replied. Gilda now came into view through the archway, looking in at Casey curiously. Mrs. Connor soon followed, her mouth open, probably to ask where he was. One turn of her head and she found him, still rumpled from sleep. “Hi, sweetie,” she started; well, she didn’t SOUND angry, not at all.
“Hi Mom,” he said in a small voice. She smiled slightly, looking towards the kitchen where Gilda had gone.
“Who… is that?”
“That’s Zeke’s girlfriend; Gilda,” Casey replied, holding his arms to his chest tight. “What, um- are you doing… here?”
Mrs. Connor sighed deeply, walking in and sitting next to Casey on the couch. “I wanted to just- come and talk to you. Straighten some things out,” she said. Taking another deep breath she looked to the table, her eyes still and sad. “First off, I sent a packing company to your dorm room in Boston. They’re a good business, and have all the directions they need. I… pretty much assume that you won’t be going back, no matter what we say,”
Casey shook his head. “No. I’m not,”
“Well, as much as I really, really disagree with you on this… I’m not going to push it. We can discuss things, like schools and what not, another time,” she said. “Do you want them to bring the things to the house?”
Casey blinked. “The- house? This one?”
“No…” she trailed off, frowning. “YOUR house,”
“Oh yea… MY house,” Casey spat out, looking away from her. “As far as I know, I’m not a part of that household anymore.”
“Casey, no, stop- your father was just angry. He feels so badly over what happened-“
“Oh really??” Casey said, feeling an anger flare inside of him. “Well then, where is he to tell me this, hmm?”
“He’s not… quite…” she started, pausing a moment to swallow. “Ready- to talk it through with you,”
“Oh, I see…” Casey mumbled, lowering his voice; the LAST thing he wanted was for Gilda to overhear crucial details of his personal life. “Doesn’t want to see a faggot ever again, I assume,”
“CASEY!” Mrs. Connor yelled. “No. No, he didn’t mean that…”
“He’s said it all before, Mom. Maybe with different ways and means of doing so, but… he’s said it all to me, all of my life.” Casey rushed out, lying back on the couch. Mrs. Connor watched him a few moments, her breaths slow and deep.
“He loves you, Casey. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but I KNOW he’ll come to you and tell you himself that he’s sorry,” she told him. “Just because he doesn’t understand you… and… Casey, why don’t you like girls?”
Casey shuddered, his eyes shooting towards the doorway of the kitchen. For a few moments he panicked, thinking Gilda MUST have heard his mother, her not using a very low voice. “Mom… it’s my life, and I’d appreciate you not broadcasting it.” He said; he kept watching the doorway, waiting; hearing nothing he relaxed a little.
“You dated Delilah,” she said, using a quieter tone. “I thought you really liked her, all those years; you had pictures of her everywhere in your room,”
“I wanted… wrong, Mom,” he replied, biting his lip. “If you can’t accept all of this, then I suggest just going back to Dad and… and leaving the faggot alone,”
Mrs. Connor’s calm face evaporated, going into sadness. She reached a hand towards him and ran her fingers through his hair. The loving gesture was almost enough to make Casey start crying… again. “Honey, don’t talk like that. I don’t understand WHY your… feelings are like this, but I don’t SEE you like that,”
“You don’t see me as a fag, or you refuse to?”
“Casey-“
“Answer the damned question,” he demanded harshly. “And before you do, I AM. So it doesn’t really matter your opinions on it.”
“I see you as my son,” she answered, still patting his hair gently. “I don’t think I need to see you in any other way.”
Casey nodded slowly; some of the anger dripped away as he felt his arms loosen. He wanted to hug his mother, just to feel safe and loved. He’d had it with the ridiculous angst and sadness already; he wanted a safe haven… “Mom?”
“Yes?”
“You do love me… right?”
“Oh honey,” she breathed, coming closer and taking him in her arms. He melted away completely, sinking into her embrace. As she kissed the top of his head, he sighed shakily, knowing the answer. It almost made him smile.
After spending most of the day cleaning and ready, both Casey and Gilda drove to the hospital to see him. Walking into his room, Casey’s jaw almost dropped in shock.
“Delilah??” he said, seeing her sitting and talking with Zeke. She looked over and smiled wide.
“Casey!” she cried out, standing up. He smiled back, his lips shuddering slightly as he embraced her. She held him close a few moments, sighing. “It’s been a long time!” she said, pulling away. Her million dollar smile was still on; for whatever reason, it always made Casey blush profusely.
“I know. How are you?” he asked.
“Oh all right… I can’t believe you came out here like you did! Zeke told me the other day when I’d visited,” she said; she turned her attention to Zeke, who was getting a hug from Gilda. “I always said you were a bad influence on the guy,”
“I can’t help but spread the love, Del,” he replied with a wink. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Casey, squeezing his hand.
“Come on now, let’s all catch up! I was just telling Zeke about the apartment I’m looking at near campus,” she said. They all sat around Zeke’s bed now, talking about everything from Delilah’s new endeavors to Zeke’s impending “wheelchair days”. Casey found that he couldn’t stop smiling; after dealing with all the random junk of the week, his face was thanking him for it. The frowns had been taking their toll as of late.
“So Case, you’re staying at Zeke’s?” Delilah asked. He nodded.
“Yea… I’m uh, gonna be looking for a job over the weekend. If I can get one soon, I’ll start saving up for my own place too,” he told her. She frowned slightly at this, glancing to Zeke and Gilda then back at Casey.
“What happened with your parents? They found out, right?”
Casey shifted uncomfortably in his chair, shrugging. “Yea- they weren’t very happy with me. I’m kinda not welcome home, it seems,”
“Oh God,” Delilah said, her nose scrunching. “That’s rough,”
“Yea, I know. But it’ll work out, it’ll have to,”
“Well, instead of looking for your own place…” Zeke started, cocking his head to the side in deep thought. “I mean, I’ve got plenty of room at the house,”
Casey looked towards him, catching the look Gilda was giving him. Her eyes seemed wider than usual; Casey figured this was something they hadn’t talked about. “Aw Zeke, really,” Casey said, trying to chuckle. “I’ve already been a bit of a ‘crasher’ as it is,”
“Case, you’re my friend. I had a place for you to stay… and I’d say you can keep it if you want,” Zeke said. “Anyways, I’m gonna need help when Gilda’s working. You helping me get in and out of a fucking wheelchair is enough for rent, I’d say.”
“I dunno…” Casey breathed out; it was hard for him not to jump all over this, screaming ‘YES!’ over and over again. Gilda’s expressions made Casey hesitant; she did NOT look very happy with this new development. “Maybe I could, until I save up enough, or you’re better. I really don’t want to be a nuisance,”
Zeke laughed, shaking his head. “What about ‘wanna be a roomie’ do you NOT understand, Casey Connor?” he asked. Casey blinked a few times, his smile growing.
“I… suppose,”
“That a frikkin’ yes already?”
Casey laughed out loud now. “Fine, fine, sure; someone needs to help Gilda keep you in line,” he joked, looking to Gilda. Her forced smile spoke volumes, but Casey suddenly found that he didn’t care.
“Thanks for taking me out with you,” Casey said as Delilah started her car. It was new, smelling like it’d just rolled out of the factory. “Seems that’s all everyone’s doing for me lately; treating me to food and stuff,”
“Well, it looks like you need it!” she laughed out, poking him in the ribs. He chuckled, moving away as she backed out of the spot. They drove out of the hospital parking lot and onto the road, heading to an Applebee’s in town. “Order a steak or something,” she joked. “Anything to give you some nourishment; you honestly look like you haven’t eaten in weeks,”
“You know me, Del,” Casey said with a shrug. “I could chow on an entire turkey, complete with gravy, stuffing, everything; I’d STILL look like a 12 year old kid,”
“I know, I know,” she said. The rest of the ride was filled with general chit-chat about anything in general. Casey was proud of Delilah; she’d gotten herself a good job working for their town’s newspaper, serving as a paid internship for college. He pictured her having her own paper, or even a talk show. She’d be perfect for that sort of thing, interviewing celebrities and uncovering scandals in Hollywood.
Once at the restaurant, they were seated next to a large display of Marilyn Monroe posters and décor. The waitress came by with menus, taking drink orders. After ordering two colas and a couple waters, Delilah took off her coat and sat back. “So, you’re gonna be staying at Zeke’s. Sounds like a pretty good arrangement.”
“Yea, it should be good,” Casey said. Delilah smiled shyly.
“You’ve never told him… have you?”
Casey closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. He waited to answer, seeing as the waitress was there with their drinks. He poked his straw in the soda and sighed. “No. I haven’t,”
“Well… I think you should,” she replied, sipping her water. Casey looked up at her, rolling his eyes.
“Yea, that’d be something, Del. In case you didn’t notice, he’s sorta with Gilda. She doesn’t seem very fond of me already, I could just imagine…”
“Gilda isn’t ‘very fond’ of anyone, Case,” Delilah interrupted. “I sometimes wonder if she even gives a shit about Zeke to begin with,”
“Oh, she seemed pretty good in that department,” Casey said, groaning.
“Well, it wouldn’t be like you’d have to go through her just to tell Zeke,”
Casey had to smile, even if he felt uncomfortable in all this. “Y’now… you’re not the only one who thinks this. Stan was ready to tie me down and force me to answer all these questions about things. I’d never told him about how I feel- he knows now, basically because I wanted him to stop bugging me about ‘coming out’ to Zeke,”
“You mean… Christ, Zeke doesn’t even ‘know’??” Delilah said, incredulous. Casey shook his head.
“No- and I’d kinda like to keep it that way,” Casey replied. She nodded.
“I haven’t told him, and don’t plan to.” She told him.
“Good,” Casey said, smirking. “So- enough about my non-existent love life. Let’s talk about which celebrity you’re going to have on your show first,”
Delilah laughed out loud; after talking about choices (namely Will Smith, Delilah’s current Hollywood obsession), they ordered their dinner. Casey got sirloin tips, making Delilah smile.