Peach Cocaine

“Aye, Casey when is yer next free day off?”

Casey presses her lips in a thin line, thinking.

“Thursday, I think. Yeah, this Thursday, and Monday next week,” She beams Oliver a quick smile, while sipping on a strawberry shake, asking, “Why?”

“Well, I was wonderin’ if… if you’d like to possibly go to the zoo?”

Casey’s jaw dropped, “Really? I haven’t been to a zoo since probably the fifth grade!”

“So…?”

“I’d love to go!”

Oliver’s face lights up, he wished that her car would stay broken down forever, because he really enjoyed picking up and dropping her off at work. If he didn’t have practice with his band tonight he would stay with her at her house…

“Would you like to meet the guys?”

Casey bit her lip, “I can’t, I’m going over to Caleb’s house today. Him, Jayde and I are going to an amusement park this evening.”

He suppressed the disappointment that unraveled itself like a ball of yarn inside his color-coated chest.

“Ah, well, it’s fine,” Oliver slapped on a lop-sided smile, “Home sweet ‘ome.”

“Thanks Oli,” Casey says, though she stays in place for a half minute. Debating on whether she should lean over and kiss him or not, but those damned butterflies just bubble up in her stomach and the mere idea causes her to slowly turn red. Quickly, without another split second of thought, she plants a kiss on his shoulder. Though, really, Casey had been aiming for his cheek.

She begins to mentally kick herself as she gets out of the car, God you are so dumb sometimes Casey!

“Bye!” Casey squeaks, barely hearing Oliver’s reply as she closes the car door. She’s pretty sure he had asked her a question but her stomach was already doing backflips and closing in on itself.

Getting into and up to her apartment room couldn’t feel any slower. As soon as she barged in, slamming the door behind her, she flung her purse, shake and cellphone on the counter. Casey took a deep breath.

Why was he affecting her like this?

She’d never had such a thrilling feeling being around a guy before. Even ones in high school where she thought she would explode if she didn’t get to talk to them, didn’t move her emotionally like Pale Fish does. And he barely has to do anything to make her heart swell with happiness.

“Chum, I think I’m falling for him…” She grumbled, squishing his face between her palms and rubbing his cheeks around in circles. He only stared adoringly at her, “What do I do?”

Obviously Chum isn’t going to answer, but it didn’t hurt trying.



“Casey Fish!” Caleb exclaims in an exaggerated voice and dramatically sweeping his arms around, “Oh how I’ve missed you my long lost love, come into my arms!”

She bursts out laughing as soon as they embrace and a big gob of drool drips out of her mouth and on his shoulder.

“Oh, crap! I am so sorry!” Casey snorts, racking her body again with more hysterics.

Jayde is grinning and chuckling beside them, “We’re gonna have to share my dear, for I fear we haveth the same love.” She wraps her arms around Casey as well, so they’re all hugging each other.

“Guys, I can’t breathe!” Casey says, trying to push herself free.

“Oh my,” Jayde and Caleb say together, which only causes them to break out into fits of giggling like pre-adolescents. At least they had let her go.

Casey met up with them at the amusement park, they all started walking toward it; joking about the nasty hotdogs and the creepy old men who watch the scantly clad girls.

“Soooooo,” Jayde drags out the word as she rolls her eyes over to Casey, “What’s going on between you and Oli?”

She can already feel her face turning pink, “What do you mean between me and Oliver?”

“Don’t play stupid! You know exactly what I mean,” Jayde huffs, sticking out her small chest in defiance, “You guys have been giving each other the googly eyes for some time and I totally saw you two holding hands at that concert!”

“What concert-?!”

“Shush, I’ll tell you later,” Jayde jabs Caleb in the side with her elbow.

“Well… I don’t know,” Casey mutters, “He invited me to go to the zoo with him Thursday, so I guess that means something?”

A grin stretches on her countenance, “Oli totally likes you.”

Casey gets a creeping suspicion that Jayde is going to start teasing her about it. Which is soon proven correct.

“He wants to hug you, he wants to love you, he wants to marry you, he wants to shag you!”

“Jayde, you are so childish sometimes,” Casey rolls her eyes, smiling like an idiot. Talking about her and Oliver soothes her worries.