Picture above: Sitara (played by Akira Akbar)
She's not in this chapter but that's what she would have looked like.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Kasey," Raina had continued on the step right in front of Kasey's door, sighing.

"I thought leaving Leilani for popularity would have been good and it was... at first. But then things just got worse."

Raina Riele was still more or less ranting to Kasey about her feelings, on how it was a huge mistake leaving Leilani behind.

Kasey listened to every word that she had to say because not only was he a good friend, he was also a good listener too.

"I don't understand why you would leave him for popularity though. I mean, you had one good friend right in front of you. That you traded for six mediocre friends."

"Being popular seemed cool at the time. But it just honestly made me even more depressed than before at the end. Everything was just a facade and- and I'm so stupid for leaving Leilani, Kasey! Please help me get him back somehow!"

When Raina Riele had called herself stupid, she had then started crying before then unexpectedly placing herself on Kasey's lap.

Her hands were buried in her head to prevent anyone from seeing her cry and now Kasey was in tight position.

A girl he didn't like was crying on his lap right now.

Now what?

He had sighed pretty gravely to himself, before then thinking of what to do and he did it.

Rather reluctantly, the guy had then stroked her back, telling her there there Raina Riele, everything will be alright.

Which didn't work for a while but it did afterwards.

The girl had sat up, asking Kasey if he had really meant that, after he had given her a tissue to cry on because he didn't want her to cry on his lap again.

"Of course I mean it. I would never say something I don't mean," he uttered. "Most of the time anyway."

For the first time in a while, Raina Riele had smiled, before then apologising to Kasey for completely ruining the impromptu sleepover.

Yeah, Kasey was initially mad at her for that at first, not anymore though.

Her being here was impromptu enough actually.

Plus he had kind of known where she was coming from when she had told him that she had really regretted leaving Leilani for a bunch of popular cheerleaders.

Who weren't even worth it in the long run.

"What do you mean you understand where I'm coming from?"

Kasey didn't say anything.

He was just thinking.

"Kasey?"

"I'm about to be really vulnerable here, Raina Riele. And I never really am. I haven't told anyone this story so if I tell you and I find out you've told someone else then I won't speak to you again, you understand?"

She nodded, with Kasey just looking at her.

She really meant it though, she had even made a pinky promise with him as well.

So therefore Kasey had explained how he had understood Raina Riele's situation.

Everything made sense.

Kasey: Okay, so you know how I'm good at singing, right?

Raina Riele: One of the best male singers in the school! Or if not then the best!

Realistically speaking, Kasey wouldn't necessarily have called himself that, but to each their own he guessed.

Raina Riele: But what about it?

Kasey: I had this friend called Tyrone. But that's not his actual name. It's just a pseudonym. I don't want to reveal his actual name, but it's definitely his middle name.

Raina Riele: Okay, what about Tyrone?

Kasey: Tyrone was everything you could ever ask for in a best friend in one person. He was the dopest best friend that I had ever had in my life. He was always there for me, he had always stood up for me, always looked out for me. But I kinda took that for granted.

Raina Riele: In what way?

That was where Kasey was getting to apparently, had Raina Riele not interrupted him.

Tyrone's first name was Tyler.

Then it was Tyrone.

Tyler Tyrone Tremaine Scott basically.

He was actually dead right now, God rest his soul. He had died in a car crash last year.

And Kasey didn't want to use his name because of his death, but also because he was very embarrassed about this story.

Hence why he didn't tell anyone, and he would have been mad at Raina Riele if she had gone against all of that.

Kasey: A talent show was coming up. And this was the first time that someone had ever used me for one, quite literally too actually, but I'll explain what that means in a lot more detail later.

*continued* These three guys from this group I had really liked in our school came up to me one day when Tyrone was sick. They had sang 90s hip hop songs and sometimes Tyrone and I had specialised in that, also calling themselves Good From The Hood.

Raina Riele: Oh yeah, I remember them. They were amazing.

Kasey: Yeah, they were.

Raina Riele: What happened after?

Kasey: They said that they wanted me to join their group, because they realised how good I was. And because he was sick back then...

And still alive.

Kasey: I couldn't really talk to Tyrone in person about this, so I had therefore done everything on the phone instead. He had kept telling me that they were just using me but I didn't really take that into consideration. This was because I thought he was jealous.

Raina Riele: Was he?

Kasey: No, he wasn't. I was just kinda overreacting back then. This was the first ever time that Tyrone and I had fought- over music anyway.

*continued.* So yeah, I didn't listen to him so I went with Good From The Hood instead. They gave me a song to sing for the talent show... but on the actual day... not only did they change the song... they had also gone against me. They did a key I couldn't sing in. Back then anyway.

Raina Riele: But then wouldn't they would have lost the talent show because you were in their group and they messed with you?

Kasey: Yeah, I know but everyone kept saying that I ruined everything when I didn't. I tried to defend myself but no one would listen.

*continued* Anyway, I didn't go to school as I was too embarrassed until Tyrone had gotten better, which took a few weeks but it was worth it. He was very mad at me at first, I was mad at myself too, and he had even said that I had deserved it. He was right.

But they were friends now and that was all that mattered.

Until his tragic death.