Ravine foolishly expected her brother to come home.
One day,
Two days,
Three days,
Seven days have passed, yet James wasn’t coming back. James Lee was having great fun with his boyfriend in his room. Peter’s parents were out, and they felt honored housing a rich kid until James wished to go back to his own house.
His parents don’t know that they were dating.
A week later, Cassandra hasn’t found peace in college either. Someone or the other were talking shit about the Johnsons and mostly about her. She almost thought she was powerless as well, blindly following their words.
‘No, no. Stop thinking about them, Cassie. You’re strong enough. You don’t need the protection of them, right?’ She whispered in her mind everyday before starting to leave.
As she comes home by herself on a Thursday afternoon, she was welcomed by Framton and a crying Alex on the couch.
“He’s crying again?” She asks Framton who nods his head. Abandoning her bag on the floor, she quickly crouched down on the floor in front of the male.
“I miss her, Cassie…” he wails.
“Love is such a twisted curse, isn’t it?” Cassandra turns to Framton who speaks.
“I can’t say anything anymore. Everything is turning upside down, papa.” Framton furrows his eyebrows.
“What do you mean?” And on that day, Framton and Alex hear to the horrors she was facing in the campus, all alone. They were blaming the system, calling Louis to stop the reduced amount of funds the campus was receiving as well.
In the evening however, they hear to Cassandra opening up about her friendship and her broken bonds. She was strong, she wasn’t crying.
“My poor Cassie… how cruel.” Louis was less angered looking at Cassandra who had a half lifted smile on her face.
“It’s not a bummer for me, guys. I’ll graduate next year and-”
“Cassie, you really want to keep up with their bullshit for a whole 2 semesters? Think about it. You’re not going anywhere by yourself and defending yourself.” Nick says. Zayn agrees with Nick right away. He was proud that his dad was trying to be wise than dismiss every issue he’s ever faced.
“You’re changing schools. That’s it.” Cassandra was shocked to hear Louis.
“N-no, I don’t want to. I have a to repeat a whole year that way. Louis, let me-”
“I’ll do something for a transfer. Don’t worry about that part, Cassie. I’ll take care of-”
“Guys! You’re not understanding me! Me being here in this campus is important!” Suddenly, she erupts in anxiety as they watch her calm herself down. Her tantrum makes them feel disappointed towards her. Why wouldn’t she change?
Because it will repeat the history.
“If you feel it’s important,” Framton gets up to his feet, “then we do not have a say in it.”
Saying, Framton walks away from them to lock himself in the guestroom.
“That was harsh, Cassie.” Louis voices out.
“I- I’m sorry, guys. I’ll apologise to papa too, but I don’t really think it’s a rising issue for me. I can handle this.”
“It’s as if you’re asking for trouble, Cassie.” Nick says.
“No, she’s trying to adapt to the real world.” Dan turns to her as she nods, “how the real world treats the rich and the poor. I say you can burn in the furnace and come out as a sharp ass knife, Cassie. It’s worth it.”
“Thanks, Dan. I was meaning to say this but…” the girl exhales sharply.
“Go talk to dad. I’m sure he will understand.”
“Yeah.” Louis pats her back as she goes to the old man’s room.
“Papa? I’m sorry, please open the door papa.” She says, knocking gently.
She looks back to see her brothers as she mouths to them, “I think he’s fallen asleep.”
“I know you’re paying attention, Papa. Please consider my explanation. I want to be there and live. You and my brothers can’t defend me all the time, can they? I want to live free, papa. I’m not arguing with anyone. I just… wanna experience the good and the bad.” She says. After a minute of calling for him, Framton opens the door and looks at his children all wide-eyed at him.
“I don’t know when this happened, Cassandra. And all of you indeed; you’re trying to face the reality that I and Louis are trying so hard not to give you.” Framton says. He steps out as he takes Cassandra under his arm, turning his boys.
“I know, I know. You boys and girls are tough and want to face the reality by yourself. But you’re not giving me and Louis the chance to keep you safe. It’s insulting for us.” Cassandra gasps.
“We never wanted to make you feel that way, papa. All I want to do is let my wings unfold and fly. There will be people throwing rocks at me, and that’s fine! I wanna get up and get going again.”
Framton looks at his youngest, loosing reason at her choice. She was expressing herself.
“Alright. I get it. But Louis, make sure no one is ever bullying her again.”
“Can’t say much about that, because I’m suddenly not allowed to give them any funds anymore.” Checking the message he had received only now, he shows his chat with the Assistant as Framton furrows his eyebrows.
“Someone’s planning something against Cassandra, I feel. And it’s gonna be big.” Louis concludes.
Out of the blue, Cassandra feels her heart getting warmer and warmer with a bad feeling.
And her intuition was right.
The next day as she goes to college, she hears everyone giggle in her direction. She felt weirded out, absurd even.
“She’s sleeping with someone too?” She halts in the corridor.
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“Oh, she doesn’t know it yet.” The boys show her a picture on their phone. Cassandra quickly realises that it was the campus website that was hacked into and the picture was posted in it.
She couldn’t fathom the idioticity of the picture.
“It’s clearly photoshopped.” She says, knowing she sucked no man’s dick other than Zayn’s.
“Maybe. But you look good in it.”
And at that moment, Cassandra realises that the whole campus has lost reasoning on the whole. They’ve become monsters in her eyes, all they wanted from her was pleasure of her torture.