A/N: This story is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Coffee’s Addictive & So is She

Summary:

Just like everyone else at his old school, Casper had no clue where Aly Barber disappeared to after freshman year. And honestly, he didn’t really care. But that completely changes nearly two years later when he moves to a new town and finds her working at the local café. Now not only does he wish that he had gotten to know her back at their old school since there is definitely more to her than he thought, but he’s becoming addicted to her and her personality. Casper might even go as far as saying he’s falling in love with her. But he won’t be telling her that anytime soon. Why? ...She’s in love with her gay best friend.

Prologue

Last Day of Freshman Year

“Are you still able to go camping with us next week?” Brandon asked me as we walked out of school.

“Yeah,” I answered with a grin.

“Cool,” Brandon’s twin, Nick, said from my left. He looked around the parking lot quickly then turned to Brandon. “Bran, mom’s car is parked over there.” He pointed across the parking lot.

“Oh. Okay.” Brandon cut in front of me and began following his brother toward their mother’s car.

“Bye Casper!” The called in unison waving to me as they walked away.

“See yah!” I said and watched them go. I then leaned up against the brick wall of the school to wait for my dad to come and pick me up. Glancing around, my eyes fell on a girl who had her face hidden behind a book and was walking in my direction.

It was Aly Barber. No one else would be so intent on reading. And her Harry Potter t-shirt helped a lot too. Then there was the fact that Aly and I were in the same grade, and ever since I had moved to Greenfield four years ago, we’ve had several classes with each other. But even so, we’ve never really talked with one another. Not to sound stuck up or conceited, but Aly wasn’t the type of person I could be friends with. She was too quiet and didn’t have that many friends. Me on the other hand, I was popular and had a lot of friends. Aly read all the time—during class, in the hallways, and during lunch. Me? I only read when I had to for school. Aly and I couldn’t be friends. She was just too much of a loser.

As Aly walked by me, I watched as she stumbled over the uneven sidewalk and fell to the ground with a squeak. I snorted with laughter and she looked up at me, her expression surprised and dazed. Her eyes met mine and I saw a light blush cover her cheeks instantly. I cocked an eyebrow at her while smirking. Aly looked away and scrambled off the ground, picking up her book as she went. I gave another chuckle as I watched her go to the other side of the parking lot.

“What a loser...” I muttered to myself once I saw her open her book again and start reading. Shaking my head, I looked in the opposite direction and saw my dad’s truck. I pushed myself away from the wall, walking over to the passenger’s side door. I climbed in, giving my dad a nod as a greeting.

“How was your last day?” He asked me.

“S’all right.” I mumbled, looking out the window as we drove out of the school parking lot. My eyes landed on the lone figure sitting under a tree with her legs crossed and book in her lap. But she wasn’t looking at the book. Aly was staring at me with a faraway look on her face. But then our eyes met and her expression changed. A sardonic smile appeared on her lips and it no longer seemed like she was looking at me, but rather, right through me. And I swear she mouthed ‘bye’ as I drove by, which I thought was a little bit more than weird. So, I looked away from her, thinking about the upcoming camping trip with the Collins Twins.

And that was the last time I saw Aly Barber...

The First Day of Sophomore Year

It was fifth period and I was sitting at a table in the library with a group of my friends. There was me, the Collins Twins, a pretty brunette named Carolina, and a few other girls from my grade—Maddie, Brittany, and Christina. The four girls were all busy talking about some upcoming Cute Is What We Aim For concert while Brandon, Nick, and I discussed our high scores on Rock Band. But I wasn’t really paying that much attention to what the twins were saying. I was too busy sending quick glances at Carolina.

But I was pulled out of my fantasies of Carolina and me when Maddie began talking to the group of girls at the table next to ours. I raised my eyebrows questioningly since Maddie—or anyone at my table, for that matter—wouldn’t associate with those girls without a good reason. We were at the top of the social hierarchy while they were...well, they were about as low as you could get.

“What about Aly Barber?” Maddie asked a girl who used to be one of Aly’s few friends.

“Nobody has seen or heard from her since before the summer,” the girl said. I think her name was Nora. “I’ve called her house several times over the summer but she’s never there. Whenever I called, her sister always answered and told me something different. Things like she’d been abducted by aliens or been taken hostage by leprechauns so she couldn’t talk. And every account she had on websites has been deleted. Then last night, I called again and her mother answered. She told me that Aly wasn’t there and then hung up on me.”

“She isn’t in school today?” Maddie asked.

“No.” Nora answered.

“Hmm....I wonder what happened to her.” Carolina mused.

“Who cares? It’s just Aly,” I said, causing Nick and Brandon to chuckle. The girls sent us looks, which just made me smirk and shrug. “Oh, c’mon.” I said to my three girl friends, “You wouldn’t have even noticed she was gone if you hadn’t heard them talking about it.”

Nick nodded in agreement, “You know Casper’s right. And the only reason nobody heard from her over the summer was probably because she didn’t want to talk to anyone. It is Aly we’re talking about. You know, the most antisocial girl in the whole school with the unnatural love for books. I bet she spent the whole summer reading. And she’s most likely just sick today, or something.”

“Yeah, it’s not like she disappeared off the face of the earth.” Brandon threw in. “She’ll be back tomorrow, so don’t get your panties in a twist.” Nick, Brandon, and I chuckled again at that.

But Aly didn’t show up for school the next day, or at all that year.

June – Sophomore Year

I cocked an eyebrow at my younger sister, silently asking her if she knew why our parents had called us into the living room. But Holly just shrugged her shoulders, taking out her cell phone and began texting her friends. I rolled my eyes at her right as my mom and dad walked into the living room, looking seriously at us.

“Holly...Casper...” My dad began but hesitated. He glanced at my mom, who curtly nodded at him.

“We’re moving.” She said bluntly.

Holly dropped her phone in surprise and I glared at them coldly. “When?” Holly asked meekly.

“At the end of the summer.” My dad told her. “To Ohio.”

I pushed myself up off the couch and stormed out of the room, toward the front door. My mother called after me but I ignored her, slamming the door shut behind me.

A/N: So, like I said, I'm rewriting this story. There are things that I want to add, change, and just fix. Some chapters will remain almost the same, while others will be changed a lot, and then there will be completely new chapters that weren't in the old version. And here's one of them. This is brand spanking new prologue that was nonexistant until now. Now you see what Casper was like before moving and becoming friends with Aly and Ronnie. What a jerk-face he was, right? -shakes head- I can't believe him.

Don't know when the first chapter will get rewritten and posted. Just keep a look out.

Reviews would be lovely. Thanks for reading. Love yous!

-Lysha