10 CHAPTER 10

J A K E

"You know what i think?" Josh suddenly spoke. 'No, but i have no doubt that you will tell me anyway' i thought.

"I think you are lying to yourself about how you feel about Cassie". I whipped my head round to look at him, expecting him to have a massive smile on his face, but i was met with Josh looking the most serious i had ever seen him.

"You have to be kidding Josh. I mean seriously that has to be the most ridiculous thing you have ever said" i spat at him. Lying to myself? About Cassidy? Yeah fucking right. That is the biggest load of rubbish i have ever heard. I know exactly how i feel about that girl. And it ain't nice.

"I'm being deadly serious Jake. You act like you don't like her, but if i recall i interrupted you two before you kissed at bowling. Just stop lying about how you feel" Josh almost shouted.

"It was a moment of weakness and i was in need of a shag. That's all it was" i made an excuse. Honestly i have no idea why it nearly happened.

"Yeah sure. Tell yourself that is it helps you sleep at night" my younger brother scoffed.

"Just drop the conversation would you" i growled sick of this.

"We should probably get home anyway. I need to check on something" Josh mumbled. Something or someone? That girl was more trouble than she was worth.

We both got up and started the walk back home. Dread filled me more and more with every step i took. Why? I have no clue. We reached the front door within ten minutes and i pushed it open, running straight up the stairs and heading for my room.

As i walked past Cassidy's room, i could hear her on skype to the girls again, just like she was the night before. I debated whether to stay and listen or to just walk back to my room. I decided to stay for a minute and then head back to my room. I pressed my ear to the door, trying to make out what was being said.

"I don't know El, he just stormed out. What else do you want me to say?" Cassidy said.

"How about how you feel about the whole situation? I know that you are hurt by what happened Cass" I heard Elouise's voice say.

"Yeah, we know about how you feel about him, come on Cass. You can tell us about this" Holly joined in, and that's when i decided to leave. Heading back to my room, i tried to figure out what the hell they were talking about. Cassidy was hurt about what happened? Yeah right. I slammed my bedroom door open and made my way over to my bathroom, jumping in the shower. After a very long shower, i got into bed and falling asleep quite quickly.

***

By Friday morning, everything had calmed down. And by that i mean that Cassidy and I were actually getting along. I have no clue what changed but when Cassidy woke up yesterday morning, she wasn't acting like a bitch. It was making me strangely nervous. She wasn't acting like herself.

I had also, somehow, been convinced to drive Cassidy to and from school whilst she couldn't drive. Maybe it was the fact that Cassidy was tolerable, but i agreed quite quickly. I had to admit, the drive to her school that morning was actually nice. Being the nice person that i am, i let her have the aux and play what she wanted to. Obviously she went with 5 Seconds of Summer. I'm sure, given the choice, she would sell her soul to the devil to meet those boys.

Cassidy sat there singing along with a massive smile on her face. It was refreshing to see her happy after everything that had gone on over the last few weeks. She deserved to be happy. This by no means is me saying that i have changed how i feel about her. I still think she is a stupid little girl who can't even take care of her self and she still infuriated me to no end.

I dropped Cassidy off at school before making my way across town to my own. Pulling into the parking lot, i saw the boys and Elouise standing by the main doors waiting for me.

"How was your car ride with Cass?" Josh asked as i got to them.

"It was actually nice. Apart from Cassidy screaming 5 Seconds of Summer at the top of her lungs" i smiled.

"You played 5SOS for her?" Elliot smirked.

"No, i let her have the aux" i shrugged.

"You what!" Elouise screamed. Well there goes my eardrums.

"Jesus. Calm down would you. It's not a big deal"

"Not a big deal? You never let anyone have the aux in your car. You would murder anyone who tried to take it and you are openly giving it to Cass?" Michael exploded. That's the most i've heard him say all week.

"Look, Cassidy has had a rough few weeks. I was just trying to cheer her up and i know that listening to that band helps. Now can we please drop it and get to class?" I grumbled and walked off towards my first lesson.

Classes flew by and next thing i knew lunch had arrived. I texted Cassidy making sure that she was still finishing at her normal time.

Jake: Are you still finishing at 2:30?

Cassidy: yh

Jake: You okay?

Cassidy: im fine

I frowned. There is definitely something wrong.

"Lou, you spoke to Cassidy today?" i asked Elouise as she sat down at our usual table.

"Yeah. She seems a bit off" she replied with worry. "I keep asking if she is okay and all i get back is blunt one word answers" she added. If Elouise couldn't get through to her then it must be bad.

"Why don't you message Holly and see if she knows anything" Josh said to Elouise.

"Good idea. Surely if something has happened at school, Holly will know" Elliot stated. We all sat waiting for Holly to reply, everyone talking except me. Eventually the sound of Elouise's phone going off pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Oh shit" Elliot swore under his breath, looking over his sisters shoulder at her phone.

"What's happened?" Josh asked.

"Some jerk at school was making jokes about Cassidy's mom during her second period". Elouise was so angry that she could hardly talk. The table went silent, all of us trying to stay calm.

I knew that Cassidy's mom had passed away and i knew that it was a sensitive subject for not only her but the twins as well. The two of them had known her mom for years and took her death just as hard as Cassidy. You see, Elliot and Elouise's mom had walked out on them when they were four years old, leaving them with their father. He raised them as best he could with the help of their grandparents, but they had always missed that motherly figure. So when they had become close with Cassidy, her mom became like their mom too. I had always heard amazing stories about her. They never told us how she died, said that the memory was too painful but that it was worse for the daughter. And now, a year later, i had learnt that the daughter was Cassidy.

"I'm going to kill them! No one talks about Julie like that and gets away with it" Elouise growled.

"Lou, you need to calm down. I know this is hard for you but just think about how Cassidy is feeling. She needs us calm, not murderous" Elliot whispered to her. I didn't know who this bastard was, but what i did know was he was a dead mean walking.