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Chapter 42

Sebastian stood in his bedroom. When Cassandra walked down the hallway with the other half of his heart—the girl who he loved broke up with him. He called her phone. She refused to answer and hear his haggard breathing. His series of questions she knew would come at her at rapid-fire.

She stared at her binder, filled with a series of math questions. She couldn't figure out X because her now ex-boyfriend was too much on her mind. Her phone rang, she watched his name appear on her screen for the thirtieth time in thirty minutes. He took a minute break, and a series of calls quickly followed. Cassandra picked up her phone and answered.

"Cas," he whispered over the phone.

She didn't expect such a solemn voice on the other line. Anger was the first thing she expected. Instead, she was met with a boy who was too distressed about the sudden confession he had no idea was coming. She refused to have her camera on. Tears would surely come out if she had to see him, and he had to see her.

"Cas, what's going on? Why do you want to break up?"

She took a seat on her bed. Her legs were pressed against her chest. "Because I can't take it anymore."

"Take what? What happened? I thought we were fine."

She ran a hand through her thick hair. "Fine? Sebastian, I've been anything but fine. I've been living through Hell, at school and home. I can't take everyone looking at me, staring at me for what I did to Phillip, Sebastian. You know what they're calling me."

"Cas," he started.

"A whore," she answered for him. "My own sister won't even talk to me. I want my life back before we started screwing around."

"Cas, you can have it back. Trust me. Everything is going to go back to normal. Sure, your friends are a bit pissed, but they'll get over it soon. There's no need for us to break up. Cas."

"See, Sebastian. You keep saying that, but it's obviously not the case. If that were the case, then it would have ended a long time ago. The bullying, the snide remarks, the stares and snickers in the hallway and everywhere I go. It hasn't ended. Plus, you don't even listen to me anymore. It's like everything I say is brushed off. For Godsakes Sebastian, I started smoking pot to escape the bullshit."

"How is that my fault," he retorted. "How is any of that my fault. I warned you about the pot! I tried my best to make you feel better. For fucks sake, I let you eat dinner with my family, and you know how much that makes me sick. And the Phillip thing. I told you to end it, and you didn't! You insisted on staying with him! You insisted on it! If it were up to me, all this bullshit would have been avoided. But you were so damn stubborn, and you wouldn't listen to me."

"So what? You're saying it's all my fault?" She scoffed.

"It is." Sebastian had no idea if it was the pain from Cassandra breaking up with him or if it was simply the truth he'd been holding in. "Everything wrong going on is your fault, Cassandra."

Cassandra's body shook with anger when she heard him say a truth that she knew herself but refused to admit.

"No, everything is wrong in my life because you wanted to have sex with me, and I said no. You stupid asshole." Cassandra clicked the red button before he could say another word. "Asshole, fucking dickhead bastard!"

Sebastian threw his phone against the wall after Cassandra hung up. He ran a hand through his hair and paced the room. He regretted what he said to her and what she said to him lingered in his head. He broke up with Cassandra for sex, and that was going to linger over his head for the rest of his life.

~

News spread throughout the school like wildfire.

Cassandra Campbell and Sebastian Livingston were broken up.

Cassandra's arms were crossed when she walked through the halls. The stares continued, and so did the whispers. No longer were they speaking of her infidelities but of her break up. She was now single, free from Sebastian.

Sebastian made it known that he was looking for Cassandra. Word spread to the teenager, and she made it her goal to avoid him. She sat next to Bree, who couldn't help but open her mouth.

"So, you two broke up?" Bree asked.

"Yeah, you can say I finally took everyone's advice."

"How do you feel?"

Cassandra looked down and chuckled. "You know, I was asked a bunch of what happened and why I did it. But not once did anyone ask me how I felt, Bree."

"Well, I tend to ask the questions that matter."

"Well, I don't know how I feel or what I'm supposed to feel exactly. I am glad for one that I'm not being called a whore today. That's nice," she commented. "And the fact that I'm not forced to sit with the idiots called the basketball team girlfriends." Bree let out a chuckle earning her an elusive Cassandra smirk.

"So, that means you really don't have any friends?"

Cassandra pondered the word friend. She had no friends. The best-case scenario would have been her friends welcomed her back in open arms with a bucket of ice cream. Instead, they stayed to themselves, isolating her from their friends' group.

"Nope, I don't have a single friend and no boyfriend either."

"That sucks," she commented.

Class ended, an occasional question came out of Bree, all of which Cassandra answered. She couldn't tell if it was her monotone voice or the fact that she sensed no real Mal intent from Bree. Class ended in which she quickly scurried to the bathroom. She knew Sebastian would be stood in front of the music room if she rushed there as she would usually. Sebastian Livingston would have had the perfect opportunity to talk to her.

Sebastian stood in front of the music room. He was in a bad mood, to say the least. He'd called and texted Cassandra an unknown amount of times. Eventually, the calls went straight to voicemail, indicating he had been blocked. He contemplated going to the house, remembering what he was told and the things that would follow.

Climbing the side of her house meant no car.

His foot tapped the ground as he looked left and right for Cassandra. He pulled out his phone. He had thirty minutes before basketball practice, and he couldn't risk being late. That, in turn, left him only fifteen minutes to wait for Cassandra. Vincent looked outside. He witnessed the boy who stood a few inches taller than him waiting for his newest singing project.

"Sebastian, hello," he said.

Sebastian turned his head, "hey. Cas has practice today? Right?" Sebastian didn't know about Vincent. He thought he was cool because he let him go after being caught with drugs and helped Cassandra.

Vincent, like everyone else, knew Sebastian had been looking for the songstress named Cassandra. "No, she canceled today. If you find her, can you tell her this is her last time, or there will be hell? I would really appreciate it."

Sebastian clicked his tongue and boosted himself from the wall. "Thank you, and I will." Sebastian walked down the hall with his head low. Vincent went to Cassandra's name on his phone and sent a quick text.

Your boyfriend came by - Vincent.

Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that would happen. I'll be there after he leaves for practice - Cassandra.

No need. I told him you wouldn't be here today - Vincent.

Thank you - Cassandra

Cassandra's back hit the wall, and a breath of relief came out of her. "Vincent, you are an angel. An angel sent straight from God."

She walked through the now emptier halls until she got to the empty music room. "You can lock the door," he informed her as she came through.

"Did I ever tell you how grateful I am for getting rid of Sebastian for me?"

"No, but you can show me how grateful you are with your singing ability."

She placed her bag on the chair and smirked. This was the one moment throughout the entire day she felt safe. As if her every move was being watched. She sang her heart out, each lyric being belted out one after another in a euphoric memory.

"Good job today," he clapped. "Breaking up with Sebastian seemed to make your voice a lot better."

Her breath was heavy, "you think?"

"Yeah," he handed her a bottle of water, which she quickly drowned. "It was like he was holding you back. Your voice that is," he added.

"Probably," Cassandra looked down at her watch. "Shit, I have to get to the bus."

"The bus? It's late, and it's cold out."

"Well, yeah. I don't have my license yet." Vincent picked up his bag from the ground. "I'll take you home. It's not too far?"

"No, not at all. Thank you." Cassandra gathered her things in a flash, and the two were out of the school. She instantly felt the chill of the January weather. She was not used to the abnormally thirty-five degree January temperature. Her clothing option for the day was not enough to combat the cold.

"I have another jacket in the car. You can put that on," he informed her.

"Thank you," she smiled as she hurried into the car.  Vincent turned on the heat in his old beat-up car. It didn't work nearly as well as Sebastian's.

"Sorry about the heater. I don't have the same amount of disposable income like that, Sebastian," he grumbled.

"It's fine. I'm fine. Your jacket is enough to keep me warm," she commented. She stared outside. Daylight savings passed that November, and the nights came much earlier. Before five, the sun was still high, yet it was almost pitch black with an empty road ahead of the two.

The two arrived at her house as she got out of the car. Vincent opened his mouth, "you know. Since you and Sebastian are broken up, that means you don't have a ride home. Right?"

"Yeah," she answered. Since she would be singing practices, she lost her ride home until she got her own car for her birthday.

"How about I take you home every day. Of course, for a price."

"What's the price?"

"You make sure you come to every single practice and never miss another one," he smiled.

"See, and here I thought you would ask for money. You're always thinking of one thing," she laughed.

He shrugged his shoulders," of course. Music is my life, Cassandra, and the music I make with you is something special." Cassandra leaned into the car to really see Vincent.

"Sure thing teach."

~

Sebastian got into his car after practice. It was now six, and tired was an understatement as to what the teenager felt. In a perfect world, he would shower, go home and call Cassandra, falling asleep to her voice. But instead, he couldn't do that. He was now broken up with her, and it seemed like her life's mission to avoid him.

Sebastian started his car instead of going to his home. He drove straight to Cassandra's. He hustled to her front door. In the driveway stood two cars indicating that the house was full of Cassandra, Michelle, and her step-dad Walter and maybe Aurora. He shuttered at the thought of this.

A house filled with people who would hate him. But, for a chance to meet or speak with Cassandra, he knocked anyway. He knocked three times before he heard the rumbling of steps on the other side. He fixed his hair and checked his breath.

The door opened to reveal Walter, who still stood in his police outfit. It made Sebastian uncomfortable due to the drugs that sat in his car. "Good evening," he blundered out.

"Good evening," Walter responded. His eyebrow raised as he looked at the young man who stood the same height as he did. There was a rumble in Sebastian's stomach as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Honey? Whose at the door?" He heard Michelle making him feel a bit better from the familiar tone.

"I have no idea." Michelle walked to the door and instantly smiled when she saw Sebastian. She had no idea of their breakup, and Sebastian could tell from the warm smile.

"This Walter is Cassandra's boyfriend, Sebastian."

Walter nodded his head and quickly opened the door. Sebastian came inside. His leg bounced as he stood and looked around. "What a nice home."

"No need to comment on it as if it's your first time. I know you've been here plenty of times."

"Sorry," blundered out of him.

"It's fine," she smiled. "Cassandra is in her room." Sebastian went up the stairs, "keep the door cracked, and if I hear anything out of the way, Sebastian. You're out on your ass," she smiled.

He silently nodded and went to Cassandra's room. He didn't bother to knock. There was nothing on the other side he had not seen before. A messy room, an intense conversation she was having with herself, and even a naked Cassandra.

He memorized every inch of her body. Her curves, her dimples, freckles in places she had no idea existed. He was comfortable with all of her. He opened the door to her, sitting on her bed with a book in hand.

There was only one person who opened Cassandra's door without knocking. "Yeah? Mo— Sebastian?" She questioned. She got up from her bed. Her shorts rolled up into her thighs. Small strands of her hair fell from the loose bun she put in. She felt undressed being in front of Sebastian.

"What are you doing here?" She picked up the sweatpants on the floor and slid them over her body, followed by a sweater.

"You avoided me the entire day. We need to talk."

"Talk!" She lowered her tone. "What is there to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, I wanted to apologize for last night. What I said was out of line."

She crossed her arms and avoided his eyes. "It was."

He bit his lip. "And I want to say it's all my fault for what's going on with you...us," he added. He approached her, but Cassandra took a step back. He wasn't expecting this reaction. He expected her to jump for joy and shed off the extra clothes she put on. Followed by silent sex if he was lucky. "What's wrong?"

"Sebastian, I— I don't want to get back together with you. Me and you, I don't think we're a good match anymore." 

"Cas, I think you're a bit rash. You know, we're good for one another. We're meant to be with one another." Tears began to brim in his eyes while Cassandra's stayed dry. 

She was done with crying. 

"Sebastian, can you go. Please."

Michelle opened the door with a smile. "Hello, you two. I'm glad you followed my instructions about the door. Sebastian, We ordered pizza if you wanted to stay for dinner."

Cassandra stared at the ground. 

"No, I need to get home." He approached Cassandra and kissed the top of her head. Cassandra said nothing at the small gesture and left. 

Sebastian arrived home. His father sat on the couch with the television on. He was watching an old basketball game. His eyes averted to Sebastian, who took a seat. His hands went straight to his hands. 

Julien turned the television off. Ivy and Sophia were gone, leaving the two men alone. 

"What happened?" Julian asked. 

"Cas," he sniffled. "She broke up with me."

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Man...will these two ever just stay broken up or stay together? They're so toxic....

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