by ID Johnson
And that’s when my bedroom window opened, basically scaring the pee out of me. Lucky for me I’d already closed my laptop and set it aside or I may have broken it.
“Sorry! So sorry!” Elliott said, and I remembered that night a few months ago, back when all of this had just started, when Aaron was saying the same thing to my sister.
“What the crap?” I asked.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought… well I don’t know what I thought,” Elliott admitted. “I guess I thought you’d hear me.”
“Well, I didn’t.”
“Well, you did. Eventually.”
I wiped at my eyes with a ragged tissue. “Well at least I’m not crying anymore. Holy crap….”
He started laughing. “Sorry, Cass. You do look… pretty… pretty upset.”
“Thanks,” I said, gathering up the carnage of my tissue box and tossing it into the trashcan on the other side of my nightstand.
“You’re always beautiful, lil girl, but you look like you’ve been crying for a while. All of this over that stupid Liam?”
“Not all of it,” I replied, maybe more defensive than I needed to be. “I was watching The Fault in Our Stars.”
“Oh, that’ll do it.”
“Did you cry when you watched it?” I asked, sitting up and swinging my feet over the edge of the bed so I was sitting next to him.
“No, but most of the girls I know did,” he replied. “I haven’t cried about anything in… well, years.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I muttered.
“I almost did. When Cadence got shot,” he said, shaking his head. “But I had faith in Jamie.”
I nodded. “Too bad Augustus didn’t have Jamie around to save him.”
“No doubt.”
We were quiet for a few minutes before I turned to him and said, “So… you drove all the way here because I was upset about some stupid boy?”
“No,” he said adamantly. “I flew here because you were upset about some stupid boy.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Really?”
“Sure,” he said with a shrug, like it was no big deal. “What was I gonna do? Just let you be miserable all by yourself instead of coming to tell you he’s just a stupid boy who doesn’t deserve you and you’re way too good for him anyway?”
Hearing him say that probably had me grinning like an idiot, but I didn’t care. “Thanks,” I said. “I know all that. It’s just hard. I mean, I’ve had a crush on him for a while now. And to think that he asked Lucy instead of me….”
“But she said no. I’m tellin’ you, lil girl, you’ve got some good friends in those two. Emma may be a little odd, but she’s a good kid, too.”
“I know.” I totally agreed. I considered using this as an opportunity to tell him that’s why I shouldn’t be locking them out of my life, but I skipped it. They already knew anyway, and we’d kept it from him for weeks. Why mess with success?
“So, you just need to scrape him off, Cass. You don’t need him. Anyone who would treat you with that amount of disrespect isn’t worth your time. If he’s not willing to take a bullet to the lungs for you, he’s not the kinda guy you need to keep around.”
I thought that was a pretty specific example and wondered what it was about but didn’t ask. Instead, I seriously considered what he was saying. How many times had I helped Liam with his homework under the pretense that he was interested in me? How many times had my mom gone out of her way to give him a ride home, even fixed us a snack, and this whole time he was just trying to get to me so he could get closer to Lucy. “You’re right,” I replied, nodding my head. “He’s a jerk face.”
“He’s more than that,” Elliott said. “Hey, I’ve met the kid. He’s dumb as a brick, thinks he’s pretty, and let’s face it, his jump shot couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
By the time he finished, I was literally rolling on the bed with laughter, holding my side. Maybe it wasn’t that funny, but I needed a good laugh.
“You, on the other hand,” he said as I sat up again, regaining my composure. “You’re not only a knockout, lil girl, you’re kind, and smart, and funny. You’re a good friend and a great sister. You are all the things he doesn’t deserve. And if he’s too stupid to realize what he missed out on, then he gets exactly what he deserves, which is a big fat nothin’.”
It’d been a long time, longer than I could remember, actually, since someone other than my parents or Lucy or Emma had told me anything like that, and I never really believed them because I always felt like they were obligated to like me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Thank you,” I said quietly, not sure what else to say. He’d managed to make me feel a whole lot better, and the only magic he’d needed to do it were the powers that resided in his heart.
“It’s all true, Cass. I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t.”
Sitting up, I looked at him. “What would you say if it wasn’t?” I asked, just out of curiosity.
“Uh,” he thought for a moment, “Wow, tough break kid. But, hey, you’re a person—a girl person—with hair and arms and stuff. You could totally find another person who breathes and can maybe do the Cha Cha and hang out with that other person… and be alive and stuff.”
“Oh, I see. That’s inspiring,” I said, trying not to laugh.
“Right? So… it’s a good thing I could think of actual good points about you to mention.”
“It’s kinda like that guy in my history class who got an award last year for ‘sitting in his chair most of the time.’”
“Yes, exactly. I think I know that guy.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. He probably did.
“Cass, I don’t have to stretch things to tell you that you’re a good kid because you are. Liam’s an idiot. You’re awesome. Go to that dance with your friends—take Milo or Wes—and party it up. Liam will take one look at you in that dress,” he gestured to my gown hanging on the back of my bedroom door, “and wish he’d never been born.”
“You think I should go anyway?” I asked, looking at the knee-length, lavender, full-skirted gown I’d picked out. It had straps and a cute sparkly trim around the top.
“Absolutely I think you should go anyway. I wish I could go be a chaperone just so I could see him pick his jaw up off the floor.”
“Can you?” I asked, grabbing his arm in excitement.
“I can’t,” he said, looking as disappointed as I felt. “We’ve got a lot going on. I didn’t even tell Aaron I was coming here, though I’m sure he knows I borrowed a pilot. And a plane.”
“You kind of need both of those things, I imagine.”
“Yeah, found that out the hard way.”
“Huh?” I asked, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Just kidding,” he assured me. “But seriously, lil girl. You’re going to that dance. You’re gonna take lots of pictures, dance with all the other boys—not Liam—and you’re going to have an amazing time.”
“I am?” I said, still not sure, but as I reflected on everything he said, I realized he was right. “I am.” I nodded my head confidently. “I am definitely going to that dance—without a stupid boy—and I am going to have the best time.”
“Yeah, you are!”
“And you didn’t even use any of your mojo to convince me of that, did you?” I hadn’t felt anything, but I wanted to make sure.
“Nah, didn’t need it,” he replied. He stood. “I’m sorry I can’t stay, but I have to get back for a hunt, and since the meeting starts in,” he looked at his watch, “thirty minutes, something tells me I’m gonna be late.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I hope I don’t get you in trouble.”
Shrugging, he took a step toward the window. “Wouldn’t be the first time bossman yelled at me,” he replied. “Well worth it.”
I walked over to where he was standing. “Thank you,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest.
“You are more than welcome.
I’ll be back in a week or two.” He gave me one last squeeze. “And by the way, Cass, don’t let any other guys up here, all right?”
“Of course not,” I replied, looking at him like he was crazy. “Milo and Wes don’t even come in here.”
“Good.” He nodded like he was my dad or something. “Take care, lil girl.”
He disappeared out the window before I could say anything else, and a few seconds later, I heard the sound of a motorcycle. I assumed he’d parked a few blocks away so that my parents wouldn’t hear anything.
I walked back to my bed and flopped backward onto my pillows. Maybe I wouldn’t be going to the dance with Liam, but I would have a good time. That was happening for sure, no matter what.
Chapter 17
Monday morning, I walked into SHS like I owned that joint, my head held high, my shoulders back, my nicest pair of jeans on, and I looked every person I passed in the hallway dead in the eye. If any of them had heard about Liam asking my best friend to homecoming, well they could rest assured I was over it. Done. It was such old news, it wouldn’t even be popping up on Facebook anymore, and we all know that’s pretty much just for old people.
I was at my locker, getting my books for first period, when I heard someone clear their voice behind me. I turned, remembering to be assertive, and was shocked to see none other than Liam White standing behind me with his hands in his jacket pockets and a sheepish grin on his face.
I stared at him longer than I should have to be so cool and finally asked, “Yeah?” in as nonchalant a voice as I could muster. What? Was he here to apologize or something stupid like that? Well, let him; that ship was already out to sea—way out to sea.
“Hey, Cass,” he said, staring up at me with those baby blue eyes. I looked right into them and said nothing. “Can, I, uh, ask you something?”
I closed my locker, hard, but I did not slam it, before turning to face him. “What?” Was there an algebra test coming up that I hadn’t heard about?
Liam swallowed hard and cleared his throat again. “Well,” he said, looking over both of his shoulders, like he wanted to know if anyone was listening to us. “I, uh, I just wanted to see if, uh, maybe, you might want to go to the homecoming dance with me?”
On the insides, my entire gastric tract was on fire. I simultaneously wanted to throw up and run for the bathroom at the same time. I had heartburn, a stomachache, my throat was restricting, and my legs felt like they were made of Go-gurt tubes, half-empty ones. On the outside, I was polished, stainless steel. “What’s that now?” I asked. Raising my voice a little louder than I needed to, I repeated, “You want to know if I will go to the homecoming dance with you?”
Once again, Liam looked around. There were a few people staring now. “Uh, yeah,” he said. Tiny beads of perspiration sprang to life on his upper lip and his brow. “I mean, you know, if you don’t have a date already. Or anything.”
Never in a million years did I actually think he’d ask me to this dance, not after what Lucy had told me. But, in my wildest dreams, the ones where I am the ruler of the universe and things happen just because I can will them to, I had thought about the possibility of him asking. In my daydreams, my responses were often varied. Sometimes I actually said yes, and we proclaimed our love for each other, but most of the time I usually ended up kicking him in the shins or something equally brutal. So, my actual response even caught me by surprise.
I laughed. Loudly. Right in his face. Liam’s eyes bulged, and he took a step back from me. While there were so many replies running through my mind, the only thing that actually came out of my mouth was, “No.” And then I walked right past him, on my way to class.
Now, a smart man-child would’ve let this go, but Liam White really does have a dirty kitchen sponge for a brain. He followed along right behind me. “Cassidy, I’m serious,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I looked at it with the sharpest eyes I could muster, and he withdrew his now shaking hand. “Oh, so am I,” I replied, still laughing, though I was wrapping things up.
“I thought…” he stammered, checking to see if the onlookers had followed. There was a bit of a crowd now. In a quieter voice, he said, “I thought you, you know, liked me.”
Hearing him say that really stung because it confirmed that this whole time that I was hoping he’d ask me out while he chased Lucy, he knew how I felt. But I kept those sentiments to myself. I forced myself to laugh again and said, “Now, isn’t that adorable.” Shaking my head, I walked into Mrs. Neely’s class, leaving him standing in the hallway while the other kids whispered and giggled at him.
I reached my seat and wanted to collapse in a fit of tears, but I realized not only were some of those same kids heading into the room, so was Liam, once he went to get his books. I took my seat and began to flip through my history book, as if none of it had ever happened. On the inside, my stomach ulcer had calmed down a bit, and I felt like I could take a full breath now, but I still wanted to scream or lash out irrationally. The looks from the other girls who walked in after me told me I’d done the right thing, though. They were all very impressed with the way I’d handled the situation, whether they knew about Liam asking Lucy out or not. I’d put a dog in his place. They’d have to respect me for that. It might not be as savage as killing vampires, but for me, on that day, it’d have to do.
The homecoming dance was epic. I was so glad I’d decided to go anyway. Emma even came—which is crazy—and I wondered if Elliott had managed to get to her somehow. She was wearing a dark blue dress that trailed the floor and looked like something our moms would pick out, but she was comfortable, which is saying something since she typically hates dresses. And we even got her out on the dance floor, so long as Wes, Milo, Lucy, Jason, and I promised to form a protective bubble perimeter around her so that no one would accidentally bump into her. Only once did she proclaim it to be too peopley and head for the bathroom. Lucy dragged her back out and the partying recommenced.
Lucy looked stunning in her pink dress, and I could tell by the way that Jason was looking at her that she’d definitely made the right choice to say yes to him. She said they were definitely not a couple, and she would be taking things very slowly, which was typical of her since her motto is that her time is valuable, so people need to prove they’re worth it.
Milo, Wes, and I were rocking out to a Billy Idol song when I looked up to see Liam staring at me. Throughout the course of the night, I’d seen him slow dancing with plenty of pretty girls, but he’d come alone. He didn’t ask me to dance, and I didn’t blame him. By the end of the afternoon the day he’d asked me to homecoming, everyone in the school had heard what had happened, that he’d asked me and I’d laughed in his face. Now, he stared at me for a second and then turned around and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
For a moment, I felt like running after him. Like threading my way between all of these people who thought it was a nice day for a white wedding, grabbing his arm, spinning him around, declaring that he’d hurt me first, but I forgave him. Except I didn’t. If he wanted to make this up to me, he’d have to work a little bit harder than that. Not only had Lucy’s philosophy about self-worth rubbed off on me, so had Elliott’s. There’s no way he’d be proud of me for chasing Liam White down and letting him off the hook.
“Hey, Cass,” I heard a deep voice to my left say. I turned and looked into familiar green eyes. “Don’t dance so close to Milo. There’s a six-inch rule, you know?”
I smiled so wide I thought my face might start cracking. “Dr. Sanderson!” I exclaimed. “When did you get here?”
He laughed. “I’ve always been here, Cass. Always will be, too.” He patted me on the shoulder and took a few steps away from me before he turned back and said, “You sure look pretty in that dress, lil girl.”
I felt my face flush and turned away before I could even say thank you. But by then, he was gone. I heard lots of kids shouting his name and realized he’d be swarmed for the rest of the
night. But that was okay. He was there when I needed him, and I realized, he probably really had been there every time I’d needed him over the years, off in the shadows, the top of a building, blending in in a sea of faces. And now, at a point in my life when I needed him most of all, he was there for me.
Wes grabbed my arm and shouted, “I’m going to get another cookie. You want one?”
“You bet!” I yelled back. I gestured for Milo, and we headed off together to the refreshment table. Emma was sitting nearby, so we grabbed our snacks and went to join her. I took my seat and saw Lucy and Jason twirling around, and off in the corner, a familiar form kept watch over all of us. I couldn’t help but smile. I felt more at peace than I had in months, maybe even years. And the chocolate chip cookies were delicious.
Chapter 18
The rest of my sophomore year went by in a blur. Spring break came and went. Lucy got her driver’s license, which was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She was not the best driver ever, but my mom let me start riding to and from school with her, assured that Mr. and Mrs. Burk had set the car not to go over a certain speed and the radio wouldn’t come on while she was driving. They’d bought her a BMW, which my parents said was outrageous, but they could afford it, and she looked so cute behind the steering wheel. The blue was a perfect match to her eyes.
We finished our biology project and won a prize at the state contest. Emma says we should’ve gotten first, but Lucy and I were happy with third. I figured Em would write a protest letter, though if she did, she never told either of us about it.
Lucy kept seeing Jason off and on but insisted they were not a couple. When we tried out for varsity cheerleading, he came to watch her, which was really cool of him. Milo, Wes, and Emma came, too. We were both super nervous because it’s really hard to make the varsity squad as a junior, but Lucy and I both saw our names on the posted list the next morning and freaked out. I think Jason would’ve kissed her if we weren’t standing in the hallway at school. He settled for a quick hug. Emma was so excited and happy for us, she actually voluntarily hugged us both. It was a sort of a late-May miracle.