Crestfallen

36: Jeremy Storm

Jeremy offered his spot to Carter in French class.

I kept trying to tell myself that Jeremy was just a really fast learner. That he was really good at learning to be nice. But something still felt off....

The day went by quickly and I was on my way to my final class when Liam suddenly grabbed my arm. "Casey, can we talk?" he said, already dragging me away before I could answer. He pulled me into a somewhat secluded corner of the hallway and lowered his voice.

"I--"

"Now you want to talk to me?" I demanded, looking up at him somewhat angrily. "You haven't talked to me in nearly a week. What the hell was that about? And the bet? What the fuck, Liam?" Shame filled his eyes and he lowered his head slightly but was still intent on talking.

"That's actually what I came to talk to you about," he admitted, rubbing his hands together in an awkward fashion that didn't quite suit him. "The bet isn't over, Casey. I don't know what Jeremy told you, but I heard about what happened at the football game and I know he chased after you. Jeremy absolutely hates losing, you remember how it was even when we tied during the competition in gym class a few weeks ago? The dude almost lost his shit. He will do anything it takes to win, to prove that he's better. Even if no one is competing against him anymore..." he added at the end, his eyes flickering up to mine in a sort of plea for forgiveness.

"You're wrong." The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. "He's changing. He says please and thank you now, he chased after me after the football game, he... he told me..." I trailed off, not sure how much I wanted to tell him about Jeremy's speech at Macy's house. He cried. He couldn't have faked that.

"What did he tell you after the game. What changed your mind about him?" he demanded, getting a little closer to me, staring intently. It scared me a little.

"I-I can't tell you," I stuttered, held captive by the intensity of his gaze.

"Really?" he taunted in a mocking voice. "Did it go something like this?" Suddenly, he pulled out his phone and pressed play on a voice message. My heart dropped when I recognized the voice.

"Casey! I'm 98% sure you're here, tell me what's wrong!" A pause. "What happened?"

My voice. "My phone... died. C'mon in."

"So, are you going to tell me the real reason you took off?"

I didn't want to hear any more. "How did you get that," I demanded through gritted teeth. He looked at me blankly as if I knew the answer. And he was right, I did.

"You know he recorded it and sent it to me, Casey," Liam said, confirming what I already knew. "He's not done. He'll never be done. He'll do whatever it takes to win. Everything is a game to him." Suddenly, something in my brain clicked.

"Yeah. It is a game, isn't it?" A maniacal laugh forced its way out of my throat and Liam took half a step back from me.

"Casey?" he asked, reaching his hand out for me. I immediately took a step back out of his reach.

"I'm fine. Thank you for telling me, Liam. That's the closest you've ever come to being a true friend," I said, almost feeling regret at the hurt look in his eyes. However, I shoved the feeling back down and turned around, heading straight for the front doors.

"Where are you going? There's still class!" he called from behind me. I didn't answer, I simply waved over my shoulder before exiting the school. I thought back to the conversation I had with Jeremy that night. He was definitely the one who told Tiffany about my sister. I'll admit, those two were a match made in heaven.

And I'm about to give them hell.

----------

My dad was still out looking for jobs, probably. I hoped he wasn't getting drunk again, but right now I had plans to execute and lives to fuck up. Flipping through the phone book we'd kept for years, I finally found the last name I was looking for. Storm.

I'll admit, I was lucky she'd kept the same last name after her divorce.

Dialling the number on my flip phone, I plastered a fake smile on my face for effect.

Ring. Ring. Ri--

"Hello?" A soft, feminine voice answered from the other end.

"Hi, is this Dorothy Storm?" I asked, mimicking her sweet tone.

"Why yes, it is. Who is this?" My smile widened. Jeremy might think he has won, but that's only because he still thinks he's the only one playing. Get ready baby, I'm about to throw you one hell of a curveball.

"My name is Macy, and I'm calling about your son. Jeremy Storm." 

**END**

*Author's Note*

Okay let me explain--

I know I made y'all wait like ten fucking years for this shitty ass chapter but even when I created this book four years ago I knew it was going to end on a cliffhanger, I just didn't know exactly how. 

BUT

I also ended it because I wanted to write a new story (one that I actually enjoy) without having the pressure of writing this story. If y'all want... y'all could check out that story when I post it... 

Okay but fr I'm so inconsistent I'm so sorry lmao

I LOVE YALL FOR STAYING WITH ME, LET ME WRITE YOU ALL A BETTER STORY. As a reward for finishing this story, I'll try my best to write a fantastic next story.