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A/N:

This song is playing in Casey's head on repeat throughout this chapter.

Even though she doesn't know why.

~~~

Leah elbows me in the ribs at practice.

"Ow!" I exclaim, rubbing my side. "What was that for?"

Practice is ending soon, and Taylor and Emilia stand on the field with us.

"Isn't that her?" Leah says, pointing behind me.

I told Leah earlier about how Hazel agreed to tutor me. Turning around now and following Leah's finger, I put my hand over my eyes to block the sunlight, squinting.
Something in my stomach twists as I indeed see Hazel walking on the other side of the fence.

"I think you're right," I say. "Why is she here?"

Leah shrugs. "How am I supposed to know? She's your tutor."

I turn back to the group. "Maybe she's just going home."

I keep glancing at her as Coach discusses the plans for the upcoming game. Once practice has finished, I pick up my soccer bag and say goodbye to Leah.

Approaching the fence where Hazel is standing, I suddenly feel self-conscious of how sweaty and stinky I must be. But I'm already on my way there, so I can't just turn around and ignore her.

"Hi Hazel, what are you doing here?" I ask.

"I was just on my way home, but I saw you guys and got interested."

I smile. "Do you like soccer?"

She shrugs. "I think it's cool. I don't really care for men's soccer, though."

I glance across the field, where Leah and the rest of the team are leaving. Looking back at her, I say, "Well, you could come watch my next game then, if you want. We're always trying to get more people to actually attend our games."

Hazel smiles, like, genuinely smiles. "Sure, I'll be there."

I say bye to her and walk to my car. I realize I'm still smiling as I shut my car door and turn on the ignition. Forcing the smile off my face, I pull out of the parking lot.
I can't believe she's coming to my game.

I text Leah as soon as I get home, telling her the news. When she answers, she doesn't seem as excited as I thought she would be. I call her.

"Did you misread my text?" I ask her.

"No," she says. "It's cool that she's coming. But it's not that big of a deal."

It's getting cold outside, and the weather report this week lacks sunny days. My mom hasn't returned from her long business trip yet, and though I miss her, it's been kind of nice to have the house to myself.

I realize I've run out of food, so after throwing on a thick hoodie and sweats, I leave the house again for my favorite grocery store.

After parking, I walk inside, putting my keys into my pocket. I'm not cooking my own food, so I pass the aisle with the eggs and other raw foods. I grab cereal, bread, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes, and add in a bag of carrots for a healthy snack.

I put everything into the shopping cart and begin my journey to the cash register. As I pass the aisles, I notice someone standing in the middle of one, surveying items on the shelf. I can only see the back of their head, but their long, dark brown hair looks very familiar.

I decide not to approach them because I don't want to say something and then have them turn around and it be somebody else. But I can't bring myself to leave.
The person sighs and turns in my direction, and I gasp when I see that it's Hazel. She looks up and we make eye contact.
Hazel looks shocked I caught her like this in the wild, and I smile slowly and walk over to her.

"Oh, hi, Casey. I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Likewise," I say, pushing my hands into my pockets. "Do you live near here?"

"Uh, not really," she answers. "Do you?"

"Yeah, like five minutes away," I say.

She nods, understanding. "Oh. Why are you getting groceries?"

"My parents are away on a trip. You?"

"I'm just getting something for my brother," she says. "He's five, and he wanted these."
Hazel holds up a handful of those mini meat sticks.

"That's nice of you," I say. "Are you, like, babysitting him?"

She looks away. "Not exactly," she says and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she sighs. "My parents haven't been . . ." she trails off. I watch her intently, waiting for her to continue.

"They're, um, drunk most of the time." She finally finishes.

I look at her, something in my chest suddenly feeling weird and warm. I don't know what to say.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that. Forget what I said." She says, shaking her head and blinking quickly.

"No, no, it's okay," I say, glancing at the floor. "Are--are you okay?" I ask.

She looks at me again, and an unreadable expression crosses her face. Then she blinks. "Yeah, no, I'm fine."

I study her, wondering what it must be like. I thought my mother didn't care, but Hazel obviously has it worse.

"Um, I have to go, though. I was only supposed to be here for a few minutes."

I nod, letting her pass me, and she pays for the snacks. She leaves quickly out of the automatic doors, and I pay for my own groceries.

I thank the cashier and carry them to my car, realizing I still haven't figured out how the heck she gets places. As if on cue, I spot Hazel again, walking along the sidewalk not far from the store, and I stop on the side of the road.

"Hazel, are you planning on walking all the way home?"

She turns, sees me, and shrugs. "I could take the bus, but I don't want to wait."

I stare at her, and the strange warm feeling in my chest returns. "I could just drive you," I say. "Tell me where you live."

She glances back in the direction she was going and then turns to me.

"I don't want to bother you . . ."

I shake my head. "You're not bothering me at all. And besides, it's the least I can do after you agreed to help me in math for zero pay."

"Um," she glances down the sidewalk again and sighs, defeatedly. "Okay. Yeah, sure."

She opens the door and hops into the passenger seat. I look at her, biting the inside of my cheek, and drive off.

"This is so embarrassing," Hazel mumbles.

"How is it embarrassing?" I say. "I think it's a little unfair that you have to take on this much responsibility, but I admire it. Your brother's lucky to have you."

I steal a glance at her and see that her cheeks are tinted slightly pinker than usual, probably out of embarrassment.

"Yeah . . ." is all she says.

"So is your brother just home alone right now?"

"Yeah, he is. Do you want to meet him?"

I turn into her neighborhood, a smile growing on my face. "Can I?"

"Sure," Hazel says. "He loves meeting my friends."

Friends. She thinks we're friends? That's cool. I didn't know how I felt about just being her dumb student. It makes me feel strange inside.

When we reach her house, there's a short little kid with curly brown hair sitting on the grass in the front yard.

"Oh, gosh," Hazel mutters and opens the door right when the car stops. Putting the car into park, I take off my seatbelt and open the door.

Hazel approaches the boy as I get out.

"Landon, what did I tell you about leaving the house when I'm not there?" She says in a stern voice.

The boy looks up at her, and I suddenly see the resemblance. His eyes are almost the same as Hazel's, but his are a darker shade of brown. His lashes and eyebrows are also similar to Hazel's, but his are bolder and thicker. He has baby cheeks, which make sense because of his age, and his skin is a little darker than Hazel's.

"You're back!" He exclaims, jumping up and wrapping his arms around Hazel.

Hazel's dissatisfied expression softens and she hugs him back. Then she turns to me. "Casey, this is my little brother, Landon."

Landon's big eyes shift to me, and I give him a smile and a little wave, which he doesn't return.

"Landon, this is my friend from school." Hazel continues. "Be nice to her."

She pulls herself out of Landon's grasp.

"Do you have jerky?" He asks. Hazel looks confused for a moment, then realizes he's talking about the beef jerky sticks she bought.

"Did you break the rules about leaving the house?" She counters, raising an authoritative brow. Landon hangs his head guiltily. Hazel then pats him on the head, and says, "Yes I have the jerky. Don't do it again."

I feel out of place as I'm watching this little family interact, and then Hazel motions for me to follow her. She opens the front door and we enter.

"Sorry, I know it's not much," Hazel says as I take in the view. I don't see anything wrong with it; it looks like a normal house.

"Are you kidding? It's perfect." I say.

Landon climbs onto a bar stool at the kitchen counter and clasps his chubby little hands together. I push my hands into my pockets while Hazel opens the fridge and takes out a carton of milk. She opens a high cabinet next to the fridge and takes out a little bottle, tipping a single pill into her hand. Next, she pours the milk into one little glass and some water into another, handing Landon the water and the pill first.

Noticing my confused face, Hazel explains, "He's lactose intolerant, so he has to take these whenever he wants dairy."

I nod. "Oh, that's cool."

After taking the pill, Landon stretches his hands out for the milk. Hazel doesn't give it to him, and instead, quips, "Use your words."

"Please." He says. Then she hands it to him.

"So you do this every day?" I ask, leaning against the counter behind me.

Hazel nods. "Yeah."

I shake my head in disbelief. "What about in the mornings? You don't have a car, do you?"

"Nope. Luckily, his kindergarten has a bus that comes to the house." Hazel answers.

"And then you walk to school?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Is that why you were late that one time?"

Hazel nods again. "Yep. Landon's bus got canceled because the driver was sick, so I had to go with him on the city bus."

I'm basically gawking at Hazel in shock and admiration, wondering how she manages to do all of this while getting to school on time, maintaining her grades, and still having the time to tutor me.

"Wow, Hazel. You're, like, a superhero." I say.

Landon finishes his milk and sets his glass down loudly. "She's a superhero." He repeats, with a milk mustache. She laughs.

I suddenly feel bad.

"Hey, you don't have to tutor me at all. I can figure my grades out by myself." I say.

Hazel shakes her head. "No, it's okay. I like tutoring you."

I look at her. "You do?"

"Yeah," she says, nodding. "I enjoy seeing the products of my work. And it's calming, for some reason. I feel like I'm finally in control of something."

I look away because otherwise, I'd be staring at her like the heart-eye emoji.

Because I'm enthralled by her insane ability to do a million things simultaneously.

I meet her gaze once again. "You've only had one session with me. I'm sure you'll change your mind when you realize how long it takes for me to understand what the teacher is even saying."

She smiles. "I think you're underestimating yourself," she says. "And my ability to force information into people."

I laugh. "I'm glad you have so much faith in me."

"I'm hungry," Landon announces, and we both turn to look at him. Hazel looks at the clock on the stove behind her; it reads six thirty-three.

"Oh, I guess it's dinnertime," she says.

"Alright, thanks for letting me meet your super cool little brother," I say.

She smiles. "Thanks for driving me home."

"Of course. Bye, Landon." I say, waving to him as I start walking toward the door.

A wide smile spreads across his innocent face, and he waves back. "Bye Casey!"

I step out onto the front porch, and the sky's already beginning to get dark.

"Goodbye, Hazel," I say. She stands in the doorway, holding the edge of the door with her hand.

"Bye," she says, a hint of pink on her cheeks. She closes the door.

A/N:

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