“Are you serious? No joke?”
“Why would I joke about something like that?” he asked.
“Because of the crap your mate Dave put me through when he asked me out to set me up. I spent days washing egg out of my hair.” She stood up, handing him back the shirt. “You should find someone else to give the shirt to.”
“Cassie, that was years ago. I had nothing to do with that.”
“I’m so tired of being an easy target,” she said, “I’m going to leave now.”
She walked away, leaving him sitting looking at the shirt in his hands.
After collecting the last of her books, she made her way to the car park. As she turned the last corner, she almost walked straight into Vicki. “Not so fast fatty, I want a word with you.”
“Get out of my way, Vicki. School is finished.”
“You’re brave on the last day,” Vicki said, “I can still make you suffer.”
“Oh grow up; you’re seventeen not seven. I’m going home now, I suggest you do the same.”
“Or what?” Vicki asked. Her friends sniggered behind her.
“Go home, Vicki, leave me alone.”
Vicki blocked her way and Cassie sidestepped her, to find Vicki’s friends stood in the way. Cassie sighed. “Stop acting like a child.”
“Stay away from Patrick.”
“It’s none of your business what he does anymore. Didn’t he dump you?” Cassie asked.
Vicki frowned. “We broke up, but we’ll be back together any day now.”
“Whatever, Vicki. I’m going home now.”
She pushed past Vicki, and kept walking. As they were still on school grounds, she was sure Vicki wouldn’t cause more trouble. Cassie’s car was too small to bring home everything from school. Borrowing her mother’s car had been a good idea in more ways than one. Vicki would never recognise it.
“Cassie,” she heard from across the car park. She panicked before realising it was a male, not female voice, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey, Cassie, can I get a ride?” Patrick asked as he neared the car.
“Don’t you have your car with you?”
“It broke down last night. It’s in the garage. You know what a hunk of junk it is. I should have asked when I saw you earlier, but if you’re going straight home I’d appreciate a lift.”
“Sure. Get in.”
As she got to the exit of the car park, Vicki stood just outside the school gates. A feeling of relief washed over her at having brought the car to school, and as she drove past she sneaked a peek at Patrick. He had ducked below the window as they passed.
“Don’t want to be seen with me?” she asked.
“What? No, it’s just that I don’t want Vicki to see me. She’s caused more than enough trouble for you and I don’t want to inflame her. Once we get away from the school I’ll be proud to be seen with you.”
He grinned up at her, and she laughed, managing to brake just in time for the red light. “Don’t distract me,” she hissed.
Patrick laughed, cautiously peeking out the window. “Am I safe?” he asked.
The light changed to green. “You’re safe now, we’re too far for her to see you.”
“Thanks, Cassie, I owe you one.”
“Is it that bad?”
“She’s not happy I broke up with her, but I’ve grown up. She hasn’t. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m going to become a doctor, Cassie. University is just the beginning. We’re adults now. Besides, I’m interested in someone else.”
She felt his gaze on her and tried to keep focused on the road ahead. “I asked her out, but for some reason she is sure I’m joking.” Her skin burned with the blush that was taking over.
“To be fair, Patrick, it’s not like you’ve ever shown any interest in me like that before. I’ve been the butt of jokes among your friends for years.”
“I always stood up for you, Cassie. I punched Dave in the face after that egg gag.”
“You did what?”
“That was a shitty thing to do. Dave was fine, he forgave me, but he had a black eye for a few days. He told everyone it happened while playing sport.”
“You never told me any of this.”
He shrugged. “I liked the idea of being your guardian angel. I’m such an idiot, Cassie, I should have asked you out a long time ago, but you intimidate me.”
“Me? I’m the least scary person ever.”
“You’re the smartest person I know. Scary smart, Cassie and that made you untouchable. Besides, I don’t know if you remember, but when you were eleven you told me you were independent and didn’t need a boyfriend.”
She shook her head, unable to believe what she had heard. “I can’t even remember that conversation. So why now? If this isn’t a joke, why now?”
“School’s over. We’re adults now. The most stupid thing I ever did was to date Vicki, she might have been pretty and popular, but she wasn’t you.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“I didn’t mean it that way. You should try looking in the mirror, those dimples of yours get me every time. They always did.” Patrick put his hand over hers on the gear lever. “We’ve always got on well, Cassie. I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.”
She swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Really.”
The rest of the drive home was quiet as she took in what he’d said. It all seemed impossible, and yet he had confessed to feelings for her. When she stopped, he walked around the car. Cassie stood watching him, her heart pounding in her chest. Patrick reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Tomorrow night?” he asked.
Cassie hesitated. “Can I think about it?”
“I’ll give you five minutes.”
“I don’t know if this is real. It’s odd and out of the blue.”
“Not for me. We’ve got summer and then back to study, I want to spend some time with you.”
She pulled her hand away. “I need to get my head around it. I’ll let you know later.”
“How about tomorrow?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know.”
He grinned. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Are you all right?” Her mother asked as she walked into the house.
“Why do you ask?”
“I couldn’t help noticing you outside with Patrick.”
“He asked me out,” Cassie replied.
“Well that’s a turn up for the books isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Cassandra Warren, that you have liked that boy since you were in primary school. It’s about time he realised how great you are.”
“Mum,” she moaned, embarrassed and wondering why she had even said anything.
“Oh, Cassie, you’re a lovely girl. You and Patrick used to be good friends; it’ll be nice to see you two stepping out together.” Cassie climbed the stairs towards her room. It faced the street, the big window at the front of the house facing Patrick’s home. This was where she did most of her Patrick spotting. She wondered if he had ever sought a glimpse of her out of his window.
Her doubts about his seriousness stuck in her mind. She had been burned before. At fourteen, Dave Pratt told her he liked her. He was cute, and she had agreed to meet him at the local park to hang out. It was all just a cruel prank, and when she got there he and a couple of his friends had thrown eggs at her. Her mother forced her to go to school after that. It had been humiliating.
Yet, here was Patrick. He’d fought Dave over it, stood up for her. She was about to turn eighteen, Patrick was already there. He couldn’t pull anything like that on her now, could he? The idea of that made her sick to her stomach. “So did you say yes?” asked her mother, having followed her up the stairs.
“I said I’d consider it.”
“Cassie, I thought you would have leapt at the chance. You do like him.”
“I just can’t tell if he’s serious, Mum.”
“What do you mean?”
“It�
�s a bit random and remember what happened with Dave Pratt four years ago? What if it’s some final prank before we all go our separate ways.”
“Oh love. I doubt Patrick would do that to you. He’s always been such a good boy.”
“Mum. After a lifetime of teasing and bullying, it’s very weird that someone suddenly shows an interest in me. Even if he never picked on me. He told me that he punched Dave over the egg thing.”
A smile crossed her mother’s face. “Well there you go, Cassie. There is so much to love about you. If Patrick sees it, he’s just proving he has good taste.”
“You’re biased though.”
“I’m not going to tell you to say yes. Give it some serious thought, you owe that to yourself. I doubt he would go to all this trouble to prank you and if he did I would be have words with Jane Cross. Her boy might have grown up, but I will bet anything that she scares the crap out of him.”
Cassie grinned at that. Patrick’s mother was formidable. “I guess you’re right, Mum, I’ll sleep on it. He said he would talk to me tomorrow.”
“Sleep on it, Cassie. You could do a lot worse than Patrick Cross but whatever you decide I’ll support you as always.”
“Love you, Mum.”
“Love you too. Now get that car unpacked and you can help me cook dinner.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Cassie, Patrick is at the door.” Her mother’s voice came up the stairs and stirred the half awake Cassie.
“On my way, Mum,” she called back, running to get to the door. She checked the time on the clock as she passed. It was 9am, far too early on a Saturday morning to be up. Was he here for an answer now?
“Hi.”
From the tank top and shorts he was wearing, he’d just been for a run. The sweat glistened on his biceps, and Cassie struggled not to stare at him. She knew she was blushing, and he grinned at the effect he had on her. “I wondered if you were all set to go out with me tonight?”
“I’ve just woken up.”
“You had all night to think, Cassie. Please put me out of my misery.”
“I doubt it. Any girl from school would go out with you.”
“Except the one I want to date. Come on, Cassie.”
“Fine. But anything mean and I am never speaking to you again.”
“I’d never hurt you on purpose.”
“Let’s get through tonight, and I’ll apologise.”
“I can understand that. I won’t treat you badly, Cassie, I swear.”
He winked. “Pick you up about five? We’ll go get dinner and see a movie if that suits you.”
“That sounds great, Patrick.”
Cassie closed the door, and took a deep breath before going into the kitchen. “So?” Her mother had been watching from the door.
“Tonight at five. Dinner and a movie.”
At that Cassie’s father raised his head in surprise. “Have you got a date?”
Cassie nodded. “With Patrick Cross.”
“So you’re going on a date with school rugby captain.”
“I am,” she sang, the grin on her face bigger than he had ever seen.
“As long as he treats you right love, that’s all I ask. You’re old enough to make your own decisions now.”
“Cassie, that means that he trusts you not to go out and get pregnant.” Her mother translated.
“Dad!” Cassie exclaimed, “it’s one date. I’m not going to have sex with him.”
“I’d rather not think about that at all,” he said laughing. “Realistically it will happen at some point, so I’m just telling you my expectation.”
Cassie burned red, and her mother laughed. “Ignore your father, Cassie, you’ll be off to university soon and beyond his reach so do what you want. I know you’ll make the right choice.”
“It’s one date, and we haven’t even gone on it yet.”
“It is best to be prepared love.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and went back upstairs to bed, grinning all the way as she thought about a night out with Patrick. Maybe tonight there would be firsts. She’d never been kissed after all.
That wasn’t strictly true. Patrick had kissed her once, on her eleventh birthday. He had kissed her happy birthday, and as he went to kiss her cheek, somehow he missed and kissed her lips. The resulting kiss left them staring at each other for a moment before they both blushed, and went their separate ways. Within a year, they were almost like strangers.
In the afternoon, she showered and dressed, using her mother’s favourite perfume. The vanilla scent invoked happy memories, it was warm and comforting. Wearing it might help get through this nerve-racking first date.
“You’re gorgeous love.” Her father said.
“Thanks, Dad.”
At exactly five, the knock on the door told Cassie that Patrick had arrived. She trembled as she walked to the car. The thought that this might be a prank still weighed heavily on her mind. Something told her he was genuine, but the nagging doubt still lingered.
She barely looked at him during the drive. He seemed relaxed and insisted on opening the car door to let her out. Patrick held her hand as they walked into the burger place. Cassie held her breath when she saw Dave Pratt, but they passed him by, still holding hands. She giggled at the look on his face as he watched them.
“What did you want?” Patrick asked. “I’ll order, you find a seat.”
“Just a cheeseburger.”
“I’m paying, Cassie, have whatever you want. I seem to remember you were partial to fries.”
“You have a better memory than I ever gave you credit for.”
Patrick laughed. “I remember everything about you. The question is, how much do you remember about me?”
When she grinned, he leaned forward to whisper. “There are those dimples again. They get me every time.”
“Where have you been, Patrick?”
“With my head up my ass. I don’t know, but it wasn’t the right place. Now, what do you want to eat?”
“Surprise me. I’ll go find a seat.”
As she found a seat, she met Dave’s eye. He sneered, and she sat with her back to him to avoid even an accidental glance. Nervously, she sat with her hands in her lap, trying to stop fidgeting.
“Are you all right, Cassie?” Patrick asked.
She jumped as he spoke, not seeing him approaching the table as she was too engrossed in her hands. “I’m fine.”
He nodded towards Dave. “If anyone gives you any crap, you tell me. I won’t put up with anyone teasing you.”
“What have you been doing the last few years?” Her sudden self confidence scared her, and she averted her eyes.
“I tried to prevent any bullying the last few years. If anyone has said anything bad, I’m sorry. I made it clear to my friends that you were out of bounds as far as teasing went. Although, I know they haven’t always done as I ask.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I can’t say that they’ve all treated me like that, but I appreciate the effort.”
“It disappoints me if anyone has been mean, Cassie. It’s not what I wanted.”
“So tell me again why you never asked me out?”
“I already told you. You always made me nervous, Cassie, you were always the smarter one. I figured you wouldn’t be interested.”
“It was always you right behind me. Why wouldn’t I be interested?”
“I don’t know, I guess I’ve been an idiot.”
“Yeah, you have.”
They ate in silence and on leaving, Patrick took her hand again. Her heart raced as they walked out together and down to the movie theatre where he released her hand long enough to get popcorn. “Let’s sit up the back,” he murmured.
Before the movie started, the lights went down, and Cassie tensed, nervous about what might happen. It made it difficult to concentrate.
Halfway through the movie, he reached for her hand again and he squeezed it this time. “Cassie,” he whi
spered. In the darkened theatre, everything he wanted to say showed in his eyes.
The lump in her throat got bigger and bigger as every nerve in her body tingled in anticipation. Patrick leaned closer and his lips grazed hers before pressing down, kissing her soft and tender.
“Patrick,” she whispered. He grinned and moved to kiss her again, this time his tongue slipped between her lips, surprising her. She jumped, and his shoulders shook as he laughed.
Unsure of what to do, she pushed back with her own tongue and when the kiss ended he stroked her cheek. He pulled her close, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the neck before turning to watch the movie again.
It was impossible to concentrate now, and the rest of the movie was a blur for Cassie. “That was awesome,” he said as they left.
“Yeah it was,” she replied.
“Not that I saw much of the second half of the movie. Well comprehended it. Those kisses were a big distraction.”
He stopped outside the car and put both arms around her neck, pulling her in to kiss her again.
“It distracted me too. In a good way.”
“It had better have been good.”
“You don’t anything to worry about there.”
Patrick drove home, opening the car door again when they got there. “Thank you for coming out with me, Cassie, it was great.”
“It was.”
“See you tomorrow?” he asked.
“I hope so,” Cassie replied, and he bent to kiss her again. She felt better than she ever had, the boy of her dreams wanted her as she’d always wanted him.
“Was that Patrick Cross kissing you?” asked her mother as she walked into the house.
“Mum! Were you watching?”
“I might have been. It’s nice to see you happy, Cassie. It’s been a long time coming.” Cassie grinned and raced upstairs to look out her window at the Cross house. Patrick stood out the front, gazing up at her bedroom. When he saw her, he waved and blew her a kiss.
It was hard to sleep. Cassie’s mind buzzing with thoughts of the future and Patrick. Soon they’d be at university together, maybe one day they would get their own place.
She touched her fingers to her lips where he had so tenderly kissed, smiling at the warm glow of being wanted. Her mind was moving at a million miles a minute, and she didn’t want it to stop. Her life had been turned upside down.
Another Chance Page 2