by Liz Thomas
“Girlfriend.” Cassilia chimed in, “You thought it was your girlfriend?”
Cody’s shoulder’s sagged. “Yeah.”
Cassilia shook her head, squinting, “Why would you be avoiding your girlfriend?”
Matt and Cody exchanged looks. “It’s complicated.” Cody said after a fashion.
“That seems somewhat mean.” Cassilia snapped, “If you don’t want to be with her, then you shouldn’t be with her. But it’s rude to just avoid her like that.”
Matt smirked. “She’s cool.”
“Shut up. What were you trying to tell me?”
“Coach was trying to get ahold of you.” Matt informed him, “The Allan game has been pushed off.”
Cody glowered. “What?”
Matt put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Yeah, apparently their QB has the stomach flu or something. So the game’s been pushed back three weeks. Maybe you’ll be back on your feet by then.”
“For what?” Cody growled, pushing himself upright in bed, “It’s not a game; it’s a farce.” He looked up at Matt. “Coach wants me to throw the game, you know that.”
Matt sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
“If I do, there goes my shot at a pro career.”
“And if you don’t, you may blow that chance anyway.”
A buzzing could be heard coming from Cassilia’s side of the room. She had been enraptured by their conversation. As the buzzing grew louder and more insistent, she looked into her plaid purse and pulled forth her phone. Her face went white as she recognized the name on the caller ID.
Shyly, she looked at Matt and Cody. “May I ask you a favor, please?”
Cody nodded, wondering why she looked frightened. “Sure.”
“Could you two please keep your voices down? My stepfather’ll kill me if he thinks I’m anywhere but school.”
“That’s kinda strange.” Matt replied, “What kinda guy is your stepdad?”
“Not the nice kind.” Cassilia replied sadly. With that, she took the call.
“Hello, Roger.” She greeted in a voice devoid of emotion, “No, I’m still at school…” She frowned, quickly checking her watch. As she realized the time, she winced. Cody guessed from her reaction that she should’ve been home hours ago. “…I’m in study hall. No, sir. One of my paintings got destroyed and I need to redo it.”
In Cassilia’s silence, Cody and Matt could hear a man angrily shouting at her. Cassilia withered under the verbal onslaught, slouching and disappearing into her chair. “No, sir. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry. I’ll be right home to sort out everyone’s laundry. Please tell Trina, Ramona, and Annalise that I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be selfish.”
The man on the other end of the line yelled one more thing at her and then hung up.
Looking as though she’d just been whipped, Cassilia rose slowly. Cody wanted to say something; the girl looked as though she was fighting back tears. Her face was pale, her eyes going bloodshot. She clung to the strap of her purse with such force that her knuckles were white, her hands shaking. “I’m sorry you had to hear that…” She whispered in a cracking voice, “…I have to go now.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me.” Cody replied, trying to ease her conscience and growing angrier as he imagined what she dealt with at home, “They can’t sort their own laundry?”
“It’s my job.” Cassilia replied as though the statement was rehearsed, “Roger adopted me and let me stay there, so I have to take care of them.”
“Doesn’t seem fair to me, Cassilia.” Cody replied.
“My mother asked me to look out for them before she died.” Cassilia managed to smile despite being on the brink of tears. To Cody, it was like watching the sun come up after a rainstorm. Her eyes glowed behind her glasses, “Do you think it’s fair to follow your father’s final wishes, Cody?”
Spell bound, Cody finally said, “Yes, I do.” He then added, “But my father never asked me to be a slave, either.”
Cassilia lowered her eyes and nodded, “It’s not slavery, it’s…it’s honoring my mom.”
Neither Cody nor Matt said anything. The former felt helpless. “Take care of yourself, Cody.” Cassilia closed, heading towards the door, “I hope your leg heals up and you can play in your game.”
As she turned to leave, Cody took a chance. “Cassilia?”
She turned back towards him, raising her eyebrows. “Listen, if I give you my phone number…would you call me, please?”
Cassilia frowned. “Don’t tease me.”
Cody quickly shook his head. “I’m not teasing you, I swear. You saved me today, and you seem nice, so…”
He could sense her apprehension and sat up even further, “Listen, you seem like a nice person, and I promise you I’m not asking for anything inappropriate, but I would really like to get to know you better.”
Matt looked at Cody as though he was signing his own death warrant. “You have a girlfriend, don’t you?” Cassilia asked.
“I do, and I’m not asking you on a date. I’d just like to talk to you again.”
She hesitated, and then smiled. She walked over to him. “Let me see your phone.” She said softly.
Cody nearly fell out of bed as he scrambled to retrieve his phone from what remained of his pants and handed it to Alyssa. All the while, Matt looked on ominously.
Cassilia took his phone and touched it to the back of her own. Both phone’s beeped, and she handed him his phone back. Cody looked it over curiously and then looked up to her. “Now I have your number.” She explained confidently, “If I don’t respond to you right away, don’t take it personally, please. I have a lot of chores around the house.”
“How’d you do that?” Cody asked.
Cassilia cocked her head shyly and shrugged. “I’ve always been good with electronics. I programmed everyone’s phone at the house.”
“Really?” Matt interjected. He retrieved his own phone and thrust it in her direction, “Listen, there are these movies I really wanna get but I don’t wanna…you know, pay for ‘em.”
“Matt, you dog!” Cody chastised. Cassilia chuckled. “I’m not gonna help you steal movies, Matt. But it’s been nice to meet you.”
“You too. Hey, would you at least think about it? It’s not like anyone’s gonna get hurt.”
Cassilia shook her head and looked back at Cody. “Hope you heal up.”
“Thanks for ensuring that I will.”
The two smiled at each other for a moment, and then Cassilia nodded at him, pursed her lips, and exited.
Matt looked back at Cody. “Wow, man.”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just that…I really liked you, man. And Alyssa is gonna turn you into chunky beef stew if she finds out.”
“That’s why she’s not going too.” Cody declared.
Matt thumbed over his shoulder. “Hey, Cody, that’s a nice girl, man. Settle your own drama before you get in too deep with her.”
“What makes you think I’m gonna get in deep with her?” Cody shot back, slightly offended, “I’m not using Cassilia as a way out from Alyssa.” He fell back against his bed and threw up a hand in resignation. “Look at our lives, Matt. Look where we go to school. Look who we go to school with. How many honest-to-goodness good people do we know between the two of us?”
“Wait, you call yourself a good person?” Matt teased.
“Dude, shut up. You see my point.”
Matt nodded. “I do, more than you know. And since Cassilia is a good person, don’t drag her down into your mess.”
Cody nodded understandingly. As Matt, his only real friend, sat where Cassilia had once been, his mind drifted off to the cemetery where they’d met, and the exchange he couldn’t help but feel would change both of their lives forever.
Groggy and suffering the effects of her hangover, Trina was the last to make her way downstairs, stumbling every step of the way. She had borrowed one of Cassilia’s old sweaters and hadn’t bot
hered buttoning her jeans. Annalise and Ramona had already joined Roger in the cold, sterile front room. The light was more than Trina was ready for and she snarled, squinting as she took everyone in. Roger was looking at her angrily. “Where’s the rat?” Trina finally asked, “The bitch needs to do my laundry.”
“That can wait, Trina.” Roger spat angrily, pointing to an empty seat on the couch beside Ramona. “Sit down and listen to what I have to say.”
Trina was slowly sobered by her father’s intimidating tone. She looked at Ramona and Annalise, who looked at her as though it was in her best interest to do exactly as she was told. Trina cleared her throat, attempting to restore her aloof façade, and sat beside Ramona. “Fine, I’m listening.” Trina fired back weakly, “What’s going on?”
“I just had a visit from a horrible little shrew who represents Cassilia’s estate.” Roger began.
“Yeah, so what?” Trina interrupted.
Annalise quickly looked at Trina, wide-eyed and terrified, and shook her head.
Roger turned on her slowly, lowering his head and glowering at her with bloodshot eyes. “Trina.” His voice was low, almost demonic, “Do not interrupt me again. If you listen to me all will be made clear.”
Trina knew firsthand what Roger was capable of.
Suddenly fearing for her life, Trina blanched, but said nothing.
Roger’s tone softened as he continued to address his daughters. “Now, as I was saying, I just dealt with this horrible little witch who represents Cassilia’s estate. It seems that there were aspects of my late wife’s will that I was unaware of.”
Trina opened her mouth to speak, but Roger shot her a look that could’ve melted stone. Trina remained silent.
“Cassilia will inherit everything we own on her twenty-third birthday. All that remains is for her is to sign the paperwork and all of this…” Roger leaned back in his chair and made a grand gesture, outstretching both of his arms and raising his head to the ceiling. “…all of this will be hers, children. All of this will be hers.”
“Yeah.” Ramona chuckled softly, quickly looking at Roger to ensure that it was okay to speak. When he kept his face fixed on the ceiling, Ramona continued, “and we know what’ll happen then, don’t we? She’ll put us out on the street.”
Roger and Ramona whirled on her. Ramona felt as though she was shriveling under their glare. “Well, it’s true…” She offered meekly, raising her knees to her chest, “I mean, it’s not like she’d have any reason to let us stay here…”
Annalise lowered her head.
“Cassilia is never going to inherit this estate, Ramona.” Roger declared, “She will not inherit this estate because she is going to join her mother.”
A cold grin came across Ramona’s face, and she began nodded. Trina frowned and sat forward. “Wait a minute.” Trina began, “We can’t just kill her.”
Roger said nothing, waiting expectantly.
What the hell were you thinking?!
Cassilia quickly strode from Cody’s hospital room, trying not to think of how good his deodorant smelled or how hard his body was beneath those jeans or how his smile seemed to fill a hole in her she didn’t know she had—
STOP!!
She clung to her purse with both hands and kept her head down, lost in the sea of blue scrubs as doctors and nurses passed her by, shouting orders and instructions to one another. She quickly stepped out of the way as two paramedics raced past her with a wheeled gurney in tow. The person on the gurney was bloody and unconscious.
Cassilia said a quick prayer for him and was about to continue onward when something slammed into her, sending her to the ground in a heap. “Hey!” An angry female voice bellowed above her. “Watch where you’re going!”
“I’m sorry.” Cassilia said instinctively without looking up, “I didn’t see you.”
“Maybe if you actually watched where you were going instead of staring at the floor you wouldn’t walk into people, hm?” The girl offered condescendingly.
Cassilia picked up her purse, which had been knocked a few feet away, and looked up at the woman who was berating her. Tall, lanky, and gorgeous with pale skin and short black hair, the dress she wore looked like it was worth more than everything Cassilia owned. “I’ll do that from now on.” Cassilia replied, “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” the girl laughed, “Seriously? I’m not the one who wears glasses and still can’t see!”
“That’s mean—”
A strong pair of hands scooped Cassilia up from behind, hooking under her armpits and hoisting. Cassilia found herself in the hands of a young nurse who turned her around as she regained her footing. “Are you okay, miss?”
Cassilia nodded. “I’m fine, thank you.”
The nurse glared at the woman. “Can I help you with something, ma’am?”
“Yeah.” The woman sneered, “You can tell me where my boyfriend’s room is.”
“Who’s your boyfriend, ma’am.”
“Cody Miller. Tell me where he is. Now.”
Cassilia had to fight surprise from overtaking her face when she realized who had just knocked her down. This is Alyssa!
“Down the hall, second door on your left.” The nurse replied.
Alyssa sniffed and then directed her glare at Cassilia. “Hit me again and I’ll sue you for assault. Understand me?”
Cassilia said nothing, merely lowering her head. Alyssa stormed off.
Moments later, Cassilia was lost in a happy daydream on the bus that was taking her home. Her good luck hadn’t run out yet; she was able to snag a window seat. As the bus wound its way through the valley, Cassilia leaned against the window and let her mind wander, processing all that had occurred.
The fact that Cody had asked to stay in touch with her was…unexpected. No one had ever asked for her phone number before. She was certain it was just so he could say thank-you, or something. After all, he had a girlfriend, right? A mean girlfriend, sure…but he certainly wasn’t looking for another one.
She confessed to herself that she’d been tempted to tear his clothes off and ride him to kingdom come, especially when she felt how hard his legs were. If she was ever given a chance to finish what’d she’d started last night, that would be at the forefront of her thoughts.
But it was more than his body. Cody just seemed nice. She didn’t know any nice people anymore. Ashlynn had been her only real friend.
The driveway leading to her house passed, and she was snapped back to the moment. Her good mood fading in anticipation of what was to come, she pulled the cord above her, indicating that she wanted to stop the bus. The driver complied two blocks later.
She exited the rear of the bus and held her purse close, once again lowering her head to the ground and tucking her free hand in her pocket. As she neared the house, a cold wind blew as if telling her to turn away.
She didn’t. She entered the expansive driveway and strode to the house. Once she reached the door, she hesitated before punching in her personalized code that would grant her access. She knew what she was in for. She wasn’t ready for it.
She punched the last digit and the heavy lock gave, sounding more like a mausoleum entrance than a house. As the door open, her heart sank; Roger, Trina, Ramona, and Annalise were all waiting for her in the front room. Roger was neatly dressed. The other girls were wearing her clothes.
“Where the hell have you been?!” Trina roared. She charged Cassilia with bloodshot eyes but Roger caught her by the arm and held her back. “Now, now, Trina, calm down. Let’s let your sister talk. I’m sure she has an explanation for neglecting her chores.”
Roger looked at Cassilia expectantly as Trina wrested her arm away from him. “That bitch is not my sister.” She sneered and glowered at Cassilia, who’s eyes were still affixed to the floor. “Yeah, dad, she’s our bitch.” Ramona added.
Annalise said nothing. She and Cassilia discreetly made eye contact.
“Well?” Roger asked, “Where were you while…
Anna and the others had to wear your clothes?”
“I’m sorry.” Cassilia whispered, holding the strap of her purse with both hands, “I…” She hesitated and then chose to tell the truth. A part of it, anyway. “…someone destroyed my painting at school and I had to restart it. Finals are right around the corner and I don’t want to fail.” She raised her head as she spoke, her confidence growing with each word. Yes, she’d promised her mother she’d take care of Roger and his children, but she had to take care of herself too, right?
“So what do we care?” Ramona shrugged, “Our clothes have been sitting in the dryer for almost two hours and we have nothing else clean! Who’s fault is that?”
“I’m sorry.” Cassilia reiterated, fighting the urge to avert her eyes. Instead, she stared straight into Trina’s and tried not to be intimidated at the seething hatred that was being radiated back towards her. “If you want…I can show you how to work the washer—“
She didn’t have time to finish the sentence. A hard hand connected with the side of her face, resulting in a horrible cracking sound. Cassilia was stunned, her glasses knocked from her face as the taste of liquid copper rose in her mouth. She fell to the ground in a heap and landed too hard on her shoulder, crying out in pain as she did.
She brought a hand to her mouth and wiped. She was astonished to find blood on her palm.
“You listen and you listen good, you little rat.” Trina seethed above her, “We do not work washers and dryers. We do not work the dishwasher. We do not clean the house. These are things you agreed to do when we decided to let you live here. If you can’t do these things then we don’t have any problem putting you on the street, with the rest of the rats.”
From her position on her side, Cassilia groaned as she tried to rise. Her shoulder was bruised and gave under the weight she put on it. Trina put her foot on her chest and pushed her back to the ground. ”It’s my house too…” Cassilia said, her voice strained as Trina applied pressure.
”Actually,” Roger interjected with faux politeness, standing to Trina’s left, “It’s our house, Cassilia. Your mother died when you were a minor, and as she had no will, I inherited everything. Including you.”