"Come on Tay," Casey pleaded with him at their apartment the next morning. "If there's only one time in your life that you ever listen to me, please do it now. You shouldn't be hanging out with that Lucie girl again. She has caused you so much trouble in the past, you know that, and she's waiting to do it again."
"Casey, she's really nice, if you only knew her-" Tay told his friend, being cut off.
"I don't want to know her. She's bad news, everyone who knows her or has met her tells me to have you stay away from her. She's a little slut, do you know that she works in a fucking strip club? And do you know what happened to her ex-boyfriend? I'll let your friends tell you that one, because they know. Just listen to me, OK?"
"Casey, you're being too harsh on her."
"When have I ever been wrong about a girlfriend of yours? Never. Remember Angela, or whatever her name was? I was right about her, and you did this same thing to me. For once you should just listen to me." Casey yelled at him, slamming the door to her room.
"Casey!" Tay called to her, as the telephone rang.
"Hey Tay, it's Chris. Me and Greg are going down to the park, want to come with us?"
"Sure, I have nothing better to do, besides, Casey's mad at me again."
"Yeah, well, we have to talk to you. We'll be there in like, 5 minutes, be ready."
"OK, see you in a few." Tay said, hanging up the phone. He knew that he should listen to everyone about Lucie, but he was totally oblivious to them because of how much he liked her, even though he didn't know why. "Casey, I'm going to the park with Chris and Greg!" he called, as he shut the door and wheeled himself to the elevator to wait for his friends downstairs.
"Hello?" Casey asked, picking up the phone.
"Is Taylor there?" a semi-annoyed, female voice replied.
"No. He's out, can I take a message?" she asked, knowing that it was Lucie on the line.
"No, it's OK. I know you won't tell him that I called, Casey. But since you're on the line, I just have to tell you that you should stay out of my relationship with Taylor, it's none of your business."
"It is totally my business, and you know that!" Casey said to her, trying to keep her voice calm. "I'm the one who lives with him, I'm the one who takes care of him, and I'm the one who has known him his whole life! Don't tell me it's none of my business, if anyone should be staying out of people's lives, it should be little blond whores who don't have a decent job and are nosy little strippers!"
"How I make money is none of your concern, and don't tell me if it's good or not!" Lucie yelled to her.
"I'm not letting my best friend get into a relationship again with a bitch who broke up with him before and who's most recent boyfriend is now in jail for pushing drugs!"
"Don't act all innocent, sweetheart," Lucie told her bitterly. "If you remember, I was there that night you and that guy got arrested for drugs. At least I've never been arrested before."
"At least I don't have sex with any random guy who comes into a club or the place I work!"
"Look, just stay out of my relationship with Taylor, I'll see him later!"
"Over my dead body!" Casey yelled, slamming down the phone. "I hope that someone comes along and kills you or something," she muttered, as she walked out of the apartment.
"Tay, we wanted to talk to you about the whole Lucie thing." Greg said to him as they walked to the park. "You shouldn't be going out with a girl like that, she's not good enough for you."
"I don't think I need anyone to tell me who's good enough for me and who's not." he replied, solemnly.
"It would be one thing if it was only us that thought that, but everyone does. Me and Chris don't like her, you know Casey doesn't like her at all, we talked to Ian and he said she was a two-timing bitch, Pat and Nick hate her, and they usually love any and every girl that comes around, and even Laura hates her."
"How do you know who doesn't like her."
"We were talking to people at the party last night after you left. Do you know where her ex-boyfriend is now?" he asked.
"No, I don't care either, he was a dick."
"Yeah, but one who when she decided she didn't like him anymore, she called the cops on him and got him put in jail for drugs and abuse."
"You're fucking kidding me!" Tay told him.
"Nope, she didn't give a shit about the drugs when they were going out, she even got some for him, but one day she just decided she didn't like him and she called the cops. She told them he was abusive and he had lots of crack in the house."
"Was he abusive?" Tay asked.
"If anyone should be considered abusive, it's that bitch." Chris chimed in.
"I dunno, I really like her." Tay said.
"Taylor, there are plenty of girls who you could go out with that won't trat you like shit." Greg told him. "It kills me when you're going out with this chick because you change so much around her. You know you're not yourself."
"I know, I can't help it."
"If you go out with her again, she'll dump you again. It's not worth her breaking your heart again for a week or two of liking her."
"Look, I have to think about it." Tay said, "You can't just stop liking someone for no reason. I have to decide, OK?"
"Don't worry, no pressure." Chris told him, grinning.
"Casey?" a deep voice asked when she picked up the phone.
"Yes, who is this?" she asked, confused.
"It's Kyle."
"Oh my god! How did you get my number?" she asked, incredulously.
"I called your mom. It's been a while, how are you?" he asked.
"I'm good, in college, I work, have an apartment with Taylor."
"Yeah, I heard. Sorry about his accident. I read about all that shit in the paper."
"It's OK." Casey told him. "Tay's still cool, we do the same stuff we used to when we were younger. Nothing's different."
"You still play hockey?"
"Not as much as I used to. When I do, it's with Tay down at the park though."
"Hit anyone lately?"
"I wish." she said to him.
"What's wrong?"
"This slut that Tay's going out with. She's a two-faced bitch who broke up with him before and wants to go out with him again. I can't stand her."
"That sucks, are you going out with anyone?"
"Unfortunately, no." she told him. "What's been up with you?"
"You know, going to school, working, partying, no girlfriend. Are you doing anything on Saturday?"
"No, why?" she replied.
"Cuz I can come down and visit you guys."
"Really?" Casey excitedly asked him. "Where are you living?"
"Fairfield, in Connecticut. It's only an hour and a half away from by you, not even that long."
"That will be sooo awesome! I can't wait!"
"Bye Taylor!" Greg and Chris called to him as he went inside his building and pushed the button for the elevator.
"Talk to you guys tomorrow!" he called back.
"Tay, guess what?" Casey called to him as he opened the apartment door a few minutes later.
"What?" he asked.
"Guess who's coming to visit us on Saturday?"
"I dunno, your mom?" he guessed.
"No, silly. Kyle, you remember him, right?"
"How could I forget." he said. For a while, he and Kyle hadn't gotten along at all, but it was over petty reasons, and a few years ago, the two had straigtened things out.
"He called me before, isn't it great?" Casey told him.
"Yeah. Did Lucie call?" he asked.
"Yeah, but you're not calling her back."
"I know, I know." Tay said. "Not till I think about everything. I have to say I'm beginning to lean heavily towards friends instead of girlfriends,though."
"I knew you wouldn't be stupid!" she said, giving him a hug. "You know I'm right about her!"
"I know, but I do still like her."
"You can like someone but not go out with them." she said to him.
"I guess you're right, but we'll have to see what happens."