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Chapter 14

Cassandra Campbell and Sebastian Livingston were no longer together.

Cassandra laid in bed, with tear-stained cheeks. Her throat felt dry from the long night of crying over Sebastian. Now, she stared at her wall, her mind was filled with him, her so-called Prince Charming. The way he used to kiss her, his hugs that would engulf her. or the laughter they shared on the ten-year-old couch in her living room.

She turned towards her nightstand; the maddening ringing of her alarm made her want to suffocate herself with her pillow. She didn't want to go to school. She didn't want to be surrounded by things that would remind her of Sebastian or be constantly stared at or labeled as the girl who was dumped.

Cassandra's door opened, her mother Michelle, looked at her daughter who already missed the bus for school. It was unlike Casandra to do this, "why aren't you up for school?"

"I'm sick," she murmured.

Michelle took a seat on Cassandra's bed. The mattress sunk in, ruining the comfortable position Cassandra settled on in her sad state. Michelle let out a deep sigh, "Sick?" Michelle placed the back of her hand on Casandra's forehead. It felt normal, not too hot as to make Michelle think her daughter was sick. "Doesn't feel like it."

"Trust me. I am," Cassandra urged her mother. Michelle could hear Cassandra's strained voice.

Michelle settled on Cassandra's bed; her breathing was uneasy with the news she had to tell her. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

She turned to face her mother, "I do."

Michelle let out a sigh and stared down at her daughter that was a spitting image of herself in her younger age. She closed her eyes and spoke, "Cassandra, I've been seeing someone." Cassandra's body stayed relaxed; it wasn't a shock to the young girl. She knew based on the months of giggling and groans that came from her mother's room, almost three times a week.

The two tend to go to dinner together either when Michelle worked the morning shift or on her day off. "Really? For how long?"

"Um, for six months now. His name is Walter and I think it's about time you two met."

Cassandra got up from her bed. This never happened before, Cassandra never met any of her mother's boyfriends since her father died. "Okay, when?"

Michelle smiled, " well tonight. It's the one day we both have off this week. I was going to pick you up after school, and we could all go out to dinner together. Me, you, Walter, and his daughter, " she added.

"Cool," she murmured. Cassandra laid back into her bed. She could care less about her mother's dating life; her mind was focused on her own.

"Wow, you don't seem...well, you don't seem like you care much. I was expecting a big thing."

"It's just that I have a lot on my mind, mom."

"A lot on your mind? What? Is it school-related?"

"No," she replied. "It's not about school. It's something else entirely." Michelle looked at her daughter wrapped in a cocoon in blankets. "And mom, I would prefer not to go to school today."

"Well, I would prefer to have a million dollars. Get dressed." Cassandra groaned and rose from her bed, her clothes from yesterday were still on. In the midst of sadness, Cassandra didn't bother taking her clothes off. She undressed out of her tear-stained garments and put on oversized hoodie and sweatpants. The soft fabric gave Cassandra the security she needed for the day.

Cassandra didn't bother to wear her usual clothes, which consisted of dresses, skirts, or whatever else she thought Sebastian would like her in.

What was the point of her looking nice if she had no one to show?

Michelle looked at her daughter, "Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yes. Why?"

"It's just...it's not as nice as what you usually wear." Michelle noticed her daughter's change of wardrobe. The clothes that Michelle brought her were being used rather than her recycled shorts and over-sized t-shirts. "It's just, you look so cute in your dresses and outfits. And what you're wearing looks...how do I say it. Like you're not trying."

"It's fine," Cassandra murmured. "I'll be ready in a few minutes." Cassandra went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She didn't bother brushing her hair or washing her face. Her usual hair was now toppled on the top of her head. Cassandra didn't want to go to school she just wanted to go back to bed.

Michelle, during the drive, looked over at her daughter every chance she got. Cassandra stared out the window, holding back her tears as she thought about the end of her relationship with Sebastian and facing him in English class. "He's a cop. And his daughter is around your age. I think you two will get along, she likes music just like you. I think that's something you two can talk about at dinner tonight."

"Fun."

Michelle looked at her daughter, "did something happen with Sebastian?" Cassandra squirmed in her chair when she heard his name. "Oh, it is. What happened?" Michelle knew her daughter, and Sebastian was dating since she first saw the two in her home together. Though Cassandra urged her they were just friends, she knew that wouldn't last long. One night, she overheard their late-night conversations confirming her prediction.

Cassandra began to choke up, "we broke up."

"Aw, Cas," Michelle began to rub her daughter's shoulder. "What happened?"

Cassandra didn't want to tell her mother the truth. She couldn't tell her Sebastian broke up with her because she wouldn't sleep with him. "He said we grew apart."

"Oh, Cas. I'm sorry, honey." Michelle looked over at her heartbroken daughter. Instead of driving straight, which was the correct direction to the school. Michelle turned left. Cassandra didn't notice her mother's turn in direction. Michelle arrived at the local grocery store.

"Why are we here? I thought you were taking me to school?"

"I am, I just need to pick up a few things. Stay here, I'll be right back." Michelle got out of the car, leaving Cassandra by herself. Michelle went into the grocery store and went straight to the frozen aisle. Her daughter had a love of one particular ice cream, coconut since the tender age of five years old when she first tasted the concoction.

After paying, Michelle placed the groceries in the back of the car and drove to a nearby lake. The lake, spanning two hundred acres was a hotspot for all the locals, young and old. During the summer, teens would hang out there to swim or have their first sexual escapade. But, during the spring season at the early hours of the morning, it was empty.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Michelle got out of the car, "come on. Get out," Michelle took the ice cream from the back seat and took a seat on the top of the vehicle. Cassandra watched her mother climb on top of the car, and she did the same. Michelle handed Cassandra a spoon and the tub of ice cream. Usually, she would be jumping for joy with the delight of her favorite food, but she couldn't bring herself to eat anything.

"I'm not up for eating right now." Cassandra pulled her legs to the chest.

"I'm sorry about you and Sebastian, Cas. I know you cared about him." Cassandra didn't just care about him, she loved him. And he loved sex more than he cared about her. Michelle smiled at her daughter, "don't think I don't know how you feel. I was in the exact predicament you're in now, but I was a lot older."

"You were? With dad? You two broke up before?"

Michelle shook her head and let out a dry laugh. "No, not with your dad. Actually, it was the guy I met before your dad. His name was Julian, and he was sorta what you call the neighborhood bad boy. I was crazy about him."

"What happened?"

Michelle wanted to tell her the truth about Julian but that was a story that Michelle didn't like to talk about no matter how much it would help her daughter. "Well...he and I went our different paths in life."

"Did you love him?"

Michelle looked down, "yeah, I did."

"How did you get over it?"

"Well, first, I cried and ate lots of ice cream," she laughed. "Then, I finally got out of bed and lived my life. Cassandra, I know it hurts right now but you'll get over it, I promise."

Cassandra began to sniffle, "I-I I don't think I can do that, mom. I won't ever get over him." Michelle pulled her daughter closer to her.

"Honey, you will. I promise." Cassandra snuggled in the embrace of her mother. This was the first time in a very long time, Cassandra felt safe in her mother's hands. "I think I'm going to take some time off for a little bit. Would you like that?"

Cassandra nodded her head in her mother's embrace.

~

Sebastian ate his cereal in silence that morning. "Sophia, pass me an apple." Sophia continued to eat her cereal, completely ignoring her brother. "Sophia!"

Sophia's eyebrow twitched, "What."

"Did you hear me? I said, pass me an apple."

"I heard you, and the answer is no."

"Why? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hmmm," Sophia tapped her chin. "How about the fact that you broke Cassandra's heart."

Sebastian secluded into his chair, "you only just met her yesterday. You know nothing of our relationship or the problems we had."

"Problems? What type of problems would you have with Cassandra? She's perfect! You're just dumb and you don't know a good thing when you see it." Sophia got up from the chair, "I'll be in the car."

Sebastian watched his little sister leave the dining room. Although Sebastian was the one that broke up with Cassandra. He felt terrible, it was as if his whole world turned upside down and the response he was getting from his sister didn't help.

Sebastian cleaned up his breakfast and went to his mom's car. Sophia sent death glares to her older brother when he got in. "Good morning, you two," Ivy said to her two children.

"Morning," they both murmured. The car ride was unusually quiet that morning, not even Sophia, who was known to be able to talk the entire car ride, said anything. The silence was eerie. Ivy tapped her steering wheel as she drove them to school, her eyes switched from the road to her son who laid against the door. He stared outside and watched the passing students.

"Your father and I were discussing your car."

Sebastian ears perked up, "yeah?"

"We wanted you to send us a few affordable, safe cars for us to look at for you."

Sebastian went straight to his phone but stopped as his finger graced Cassandra's number. Sebastian locked his cellphone before he typed a message to his ex-girlfriend. Usually, if anything positive in his life happened, the first person he would call would be her, but now, that wasn't the case.

"5,000, nothing more than that."

Five thousand really meant six thousand, and a six-thousand-dollar car would be any 16 years old's dream. "Okay, I'll send you guys some pictures tonight."

Sebastian got out of the car. Without realizing it, Sebastian went through the door he went through every day for the last seven months. A door that took him right next to Cassandra's locker. He stopped in his tracks when he saw it the long blue locker that contained all of her stuff.

"Hey. Why are you standing here staring at Cassandra's locker?" Vicky asked. It was rare for Vicky to come to school earlier than she had to. But, last night, she binged a variety of shows and stayed up until dawn.

Sebastian looked down at Vicky. She was much shorter than Cassandra. It hurt his neck sometimes when he looked down at her. The two began to sit next to each other when the teacher thought it was a good idea to change seats. Since it was never-ending of her talking his head off about things he didn't care about. But, he tolerated it because she was Cassandra's friend. "I-I don't know, I have to go to class." Sebastian turned and walked to his first period.

~

Cassandra arrived at school by lunchtime started, leaving her with four classes left in the day. After she cried in her mother's arms, she went home and got changed. Her mother told her something that she learned herself at a young age.

Don't let a breakup take away from your beauty.

Cassandra decided to wear a dress, a shorter one. The kind that Sebastian enjoyed, one where he regularly ran his hand up and down her leg during class per her mother's advice.

Cassandra closed her locker door and sighed. She was miserable; the comfort her mother gave her quickly disappeared as soon as she got out of the car. Cassandra walked to the lunchroom and took a seat with her three friends.

Vicky looked over at Cassandra. "Hey, I didn't see you this morning. Where were you?"

"Oh," Cassandra moved her hair behind her ear. "Um... well, me and my mom," Cassandra's eyes began to water. "Um"

"Cas, what's wrong?"

"Well..." tears began to fall out of Cassandra's eyes. "Sebastian and I... shit, we broke up."

"What!" The three girls shouted in unison.

"Are you serious?" Vicky asked. Cassandra nodded her head and wiped her tears. "When? What happened?"

"He said he couldn't do it anymore and broke up with me last night."

"What do you mean, do it?"

"He said... he said, he couldn't wait for us not to have sex, and he broke up with me," Cassandra cried. Cassandra put her head down. Her two friends began to rub her back.

"What a dick," Gabrielle groaned. "How could he do this to you. " Amy grabbed Cassandra and brought her into a hug.

Gabrielle continued to rub small circles around Cassandra's back. "It's going to be alright, love. Screw him," Amy urged. The bell rang, making some students leave the cluttered cafeteria.

"Shit, Cas. Do you want to hang out after school?" Amy asked. "We can talk." Amy looked to Gabrielle, "we'll both hang out with you."

Cassandra wiped her tears, "no, I can't. I'm having dinner with my mom tonight. But thanks anyway, you guys," Cassandra got up from the lunch table. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye," they waved.

Gabrielle turned to Amy, "God, that must suck getting dump because you don't want to have sex."

"I know right, I didn't think Sebastian would do that to her. He seemed so nice," Amy responded.

"Well... don't you guys think it's the right thing to do? I mean...like Sebastian is hot, and Cassandra is pretty. So, it's obvious he wants to have sex. I mean, its kind of makes sense for him to just break up with her if she can't give him what he wants. Isn't that the more mature thing to do? Like he could have cheated on her, but instead, he did the responsible thing and broke it off."

Amy and Gabrielle's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course not. He's a dick, how could you possibly think he's a good guy. He broke Cassandra's heart because he couldn't wait to get his dick wet," Gabrielle exclaimed. "Guys, like that are the worst."

The cafeteria began to empty, and the three girls went their separate ways. Vicky arrived in class and took a seat next to Sebastian. Sebastian's eyes perked when he saw her, "So, you and Cassandra broke up," Vicky outright said.

Sebastian chewed the end of his pencil, "can you wait until after class to yell at me?"

"Why would I yell at you?"

His eyebrow furrowed, "because I broke up with Cassandra."

"Hey, I understand. Hell, I kind of agree with you, it makes sense what you did. Cassandra couldn't give you want you wanted so you left. Any sensible, mature guy would do that."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair and looked over at Vicky. "I'm glad someone is on my side. My own family hates me for breaking up with her."

Vicky smiled at Sebastian; little did he know she would always be on his side no matter what. "No, problem."

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