Sugar in the Engine

That day, instead of Spencer-Stacey and Jeph sitting with Adelade, the seemingly perfect girl sat alone. Okay, so she was only alone to anyone else, but she did have Casey. She decided that, instead of looking like a psychopath, she'd write notes to him and he'd talk to her. She knew this would work because Adelade was the only one who could hear Casey now.

I really, truly am sorry, Casey, she wrote. She sighed, keeping the paper slightly to her left as if to make it seem she was only writing that way because of her lunch. She waited for Casey to reply as she reached into her lunch bag and pulled out her veggie sandwich. She heard Casey sigh, and felt his light shift around her.

His blue eyes stared into her dark ones. "I know you are, Adders. And I forgive you, but that doesn't mean that Spence does. She's constantly worrying about you, and then you just give her incentive to scream and pull hair and totally hate herself because she feels like she's not doing the job she's supposed to be doing," he said. She was glad she was the only one who could hear him; Adelade didn't want anyone else hearing such true words.

I know. But what can I say? What can I do? She doesn't want anything to do with me right now. She took a bite of her meat free lunch, glad to have Casey know she was a vegetarian, like had been when he was alive. He rubbed his temples with two fingers before answering.

"This reminds me of a time J.T. was mad at me," he said quickly, smiling at the memory. He could clearly remember his best friend's face, the way it held just familiarity to him. Instead of getting to finish his story, he watched as Adelade wrote, J.T.? Mad at you? Casey chuckled and nodded. "I had a few too many beers that night, and played the show completely wasted. He had to almost carry me off the stage by the end of the set and back to my bunk on the bus. I think I still owe him for that!"

Adelade had to stifle a laugh. Sure, his story wasn't as serious as hers, but she could find the similarities between the two. She understood what he was trying to say. We should find a way to pay him back! she wrote. Another bite of her sandwich came before Casey's response.

"I'd love to, but I don't see how we could. I'm dead, and you're the only person I know that can see and hear and feel me," he said. Adelade gave a slight nod before taking another bite, and then a drink from her water bottle. When she almost accidentally looked up from her paper, she had to take a double take.

There was a boy, two tables away, who was starring at her. He was cute, with fringed blond hair and a green To Write Love On Her Arms shirt. And his eyes, those that resembled the ocean, or the sky even, stared deep into Adelade's dark chocolate ones and held her there. These eyes weren't like Casey's, which held friendship and wisdom. No, this boy's eyes held interest and intrigue.

As Casey looked at Adders, wondering why she wasn't writing, he looked at her. Adelade's attention was stuck on that boy, and Casey (once he had taken a look at the blond kid) knew this couldn't be good. There was a certain speck in the boy's eye; a speck that only other guys could see really, and it meant that this boy wasn't after Adelade because she was the most popular, or the smartest girl in school. It meant that this kids brain wasn't in his head, but somewhere more.....southern.

"Adelade Mark, that kid is no good," Casey said firmly, laying his hand on Adelade's. He loved how he could feel her; it made him feel more humane. But with how cold her hand was, he knew she was blushing. "He's not good news, Addie."

Adelade absently turned her head and looked at Casey. Quickly, she realized that he wasn't there to anyone but her, so she grabbed her paper and wrote. I'm sorry you think that. Casey sighed as she turned her gaze back to the boy. Both were surprised when he stood up, grabbed his lunch, and walked over to Adelade's table.

Casey looked past the boy at Spencer-Stacey. The girl who had blown up at her friend that very morning (and she had every reason to), was now glaring. She had the same feeling Casey had, allowing Casey to give Adelade a triumphant smile, which the troubled 'perfectionist' ignored.

"Mind if I sit here?" the boy asked. Casey glared at his small frame, but the boy didn't wait for an answer. He put his tray down on the table and took a seat across from Adelade. Casey continued to glare, but Adelade held a sweet smile on her pale face.

"Adelade, get rid of him! Spencer doesn't think he's good new either, meaning that he really isn't good new," he demanded. Casey was starting to feel his humanity slip away with his command. Soon enough, his world would be black, and he'd end up right where he started-in Heaven again.

Adelade noticed the tone in her Guardian's voice. She turned to see Casey's normally blue eyes had turned black, almost as if he was a Vampire instead of an Angel. She knew that instead of Casey saving her, this time she'd have to save him. Somehow, she knew he was in danger of being taken from her-and then what would happen to her? He was the reason she was avoiding Jason and drugs and sex.

Sex. Holy shit. I'm not a fucking virgin. Wait-this is not the time to be freaking out over this! This is the time to get rid of this blond kid before Casey explodes...or implodes...or worse. Quick, Addie! Get the fuck up and leave! Her mind started screaming demands that she should have listened to when Casey was ushering them into her ears.

In a rush, Adelade collected what was left of her lunch and hurried out of the Cafeteria. The boy stared off after her in wonder and amusement. One of his friends, with dark hair and darker eyes, came up and patted the boy on the back. "Dude, she's so into you. Playing hard to get, but so into you!" his friend said. Casey rolled his eyes and headed out of the cafeteria after Adelade.

He found her by her locker, a few yards away from the doors to the lunch room. "You okay?" she asked. Adelade noticed that Casey's eyes had gone back to their familiar blue color, and she sighed in relief. He nodded and took a seat next to her. The faced one window across the hall that let in a bright light that must have been the sun, and suddenly the light around Casey was glowing. If it was so beautiful, Adelade wouldn't have been able to look at it.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Casey turned and nodded.

"It's my job. But next time, please listen to me, especially when I bring Spencer-"

"Addie!" they heard as Adelade's only real friends interrupted Casey. Jeph and Spencer-Stacey were both jogging down the hall to their friend, and the both sat across from Addie. "I totally saw you walk away from Lars! Go you!" Spencer said, hugging her friend. Adelade smiled, hugging her best friend back.

"And I'm really glad I did it, too."