"Tay, you're making him out to be worse than he really was. He was pretty sweet." Lucie told him, defending her ex-boyfriend.
"He was a dick. You know it. Do you remember how he acted when he found out I existed?!"
"He didn't mean it, he was just surprised, that's all." she replied.
"Tay, I want you to stop hanging around with that Lucie girl." Casey bluntly told him in the kitchen in their apartment."What's wrong with her!" he exploded, "She's my girlfriend! You don't even know her!"
"I know she hates me, and she doesn't know me!"
"She just doesn't like it that I live with you." he told her. "I think it's understandable. She thinks I should be living by myself."
"Do you really think you could live by yourself, Taylor, do you? Do you think you can get a job and make enough money to pay for rent, and for food, and to do everything on your own, without anyone's help? Do you? If you think you can, we can try it out. I'm sure you can find a job that pays enough to maybe get an apartment in Harlem, that would be great, so you could go around all the time worrying about being shot or killed. Or maybe that just doesn't matter to you, getting shot. It happened once already, and look what happened to you. It wouldn't hurt for you to get shot in the back again, would it now. What do you think Tay, huh?" Casey yelled at him bitterly, tears forming in her eyes. "Do you realize how much I do for you, Tay? I'm the only one working, I'm making all the money to pay for a nice apartment, for my classes, enough to take care of you, enough to feed us. You know how long I have to work for that! Think of how many less hours I would work if you lived by yourself. Don't take anything for granted Tay, you did once, and I figured that would have taught you a lesson, but I guess I was wrong. Go call your damn girlfriend and tell her you want to move out, I don't care anymore! The only reason I'm doing any of this is because I care about you Taylor, think about it!" Casey stormed into her room and slammed the door, crying.
"Casey," Tay pleaded with her, trying not to sound angry. He hated it when she brought up his accident, and how he is lucky to be alive. "I didn't mean it like that. You know as well as I do that if I didn't live here, if you didn't take care of me, that I would be lost. I can't live by myself, I would never be able to get up in the mornings. I'm really sorry for overreacting Casey. If you just forgive me, but give Lucie one more chance?"
"I can forgive you, but I don't know about her," Casey sniffled, the door still shut. "She's tearing us apart, Tay, we've known each other forever, and I just don't think she's the one for you."
"Casey--" the phone interrupted Taylor. "Hello?" he asked.
"Tay, it's Lucie. Sorry to be in such a rush, but I don't like you anymore, and I'm going out with a drummer named Coley from a band. It just wasn't working out between us, you understand. The whole Casey thing wasn't working with me. I know I made the right descision. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. Well, maybe I'll see you again one day, bye!" Lucie hung up the phone.
Taylor was dumbfounded. "Tay, who was it?" Casey asked.
"Lucie..." he replied, trailing off.
"Uh-oh, what happened Tay? Nevermind, I know, who did she break up with you for?"
"A drummer named Coley..." Tay frowned, trying to hide his emotions.
Casey came over and hugged him, "It's OK, Tay, don't worry, she wasn't good enough for you anyway."
"Oh my god!" Lucie yelled. "Coley, come here and meet my ex-boyfriend!"
"Taylor!" she yelled, running over to him. "This is Coley, my boyfriend! Coley, Tay used to be in a band when he was younger, until he got into an accident. You know how it is."
"Yeah," he replied, gruffly. "I didn't think you'd go out with a fucking cripple just because he used to be famous." he glared at Tay.
"Coley, that's not true." she said. "Don't worry, you know I like you better anyway!"
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, dragging her away.
"Can't we just get on with it?" Lucie asked him. "I'm sorry if Coley was mean to you or anything, I was just being stupid at the time."
"I guess." Tay told her. He knew that he shouldn't be giving in to her crap, and that the only thing she really wanted was sex, and knew that Taylor was someone who would forgive her easily, and give her what she wanted.
"Look Pat, I really should go," Casey told him, breathlessly as they lay on a bed in one of the rooms of the house.
"It's too early to leave." he told her, kissing her on the lips. "You know you want to stay for more," he whispered to her.
"Casey half smiled. "But what about Taylor?" she asked. "I don't know if he wants to stay here or not?"
"Don't worry about him, he'll be OK. We shouldn't be here too much longer."
After thinking briefly, Casey decided that Taylor was more important than this. "No, I really have to go, it's important." she told him
"Just stay a little longer," he pleaded with her, kissing her hard.
"Has anyone seen Taylor?" Chris asked people, as he and Greg ran around the yard looking for him. They knew that Casey wasn't looking after him, and were just like her in their thinking that he would get into trouble if he wasn't with at least one person he knew.
"Erick, have you seen Tay?" Greg asked him, as they found him on the porch, talking to a bunch of people.
"Um, about an hour ago some girl came up and talked to him. His ex-girlfriend, I think. She sais she still wanted him or something and they went inside. Why, what's wrong?"
Greg and Chris looked at each other, with a look of concern on their faces. "Do you know if her name was Lucie?" they asked.
"Yeah, something like that."
"Shit!" Chris yelled. "That girl is nothing but trouble. Don't you remember her Erick? She broke up with him to go out with some guy in a band and then he always told us how much he wanted her whenever he saw her at parties? That girl is bad news."
"Oh, crap." Erick said to them. "I never thought it was her. They went inside after she talked to him, she was going to get him another drink or something. Where's Casey and her friend?" he asked, "They might know."
"Does anyone ever know?" Chris yelled to Erick, exasperated.
"Hey guys, have you seen Casey?" Laura came up to them.
"Oh man, we were hoping you could tell us that. Tay just got like, back together with Lucie, and you know what happened last time. Besides, they're usually gone by now." Chris informed her.
"Lucie is here again? What the hell happened to her boyfriend?"
"I dunno. She probably dumped him."
"That girl is a little slut! Casey is going to be really mad if they're going out again. I haven't seen either of them in a while. I think Casey was with your friend before though."
"Who, Pat, Nick?" Chris asked.
"Pat," she told him. "She might be inside somewhere, but I couldn't find her."
"Taylor! What the hell do you think you're doign with that bitch!" an angry Casey yelled as she finally left the room she and Pat had been in, only to find Taylor making out with that whore that used to be his girlfriend.
"Leave him alone, we're busy." Lucie told her, giving Casey a dirty look. "He's not 5 years old anymore."
"Taylor, we're leaving right now, and without her." Casey yelled, glaring at the two of them. "Who the hell do you think you are, dumping him one day, and then another coming back. What, did that drummer end up in jail or something?"
"Fuck you, it's none of your goddamn business why I broke up with him, or why I want to get back with Taylor! Come on Tay, tell her to leave us alone."
"Casey," Tay said, looking at her sorrowfully, "Don't be mad at her, she didn't do anything on purpose. But Lucie, I think it's time I went home, you understand."
"Taylor, don't let her control you!" Lucie told him, rolling her eyes. "You let her treat you like you're 10!"
"Since we're leaving, you should get up and leave him alone now so I can help him."
"Taylor, I'll call you tommorow." Lucie told him bitterly, getting up and walking away. "Be home."