Chapter -3

"It has been nice chatting with you, Cassie." Jaden spoke as he went out of the house without breaking his eyes from her enchanting brown eyes. 

"It has been nice talking to you too, Jaden," Cassie answered politely. They were currently walking side by side on the streets of the neighborhood which she used to live in.

"Are you going to stay at your mom's?" He asked again. To say he frankly liked the girl was an understatement. The way he has been staring at her for the most of their walk was evidence for it.

"I don't know. I came here planning on staying in a hotel but…" she stopped mid in her sentence. It's true that she never planned on staying in her former house but it seems like she would do much more while staying with her mother.

"You definitely should stay here. Your mother is happy while you're there. And I'd be happy if you were here." He stayed silent after saying that. 

"I don't want to be a burden to her. I mean I've been gone for ten years and suddenly I came without saying anything. It would be so rude if I stay." Cassie said seriously and kept walking looking ahead.

"No, you won't be a burden to anyone, Cassie. I promise, just stay." Jaden spoke with a desperate tone and she agreed soon after. 

"I shouldn't be taking you far from your home. You should get back." He said while they stopped around the street where Jaden lived.

"You're right I should get back." She agreed, eyeing the road they walked back.

"So, I should see you around?" He asked while putting his hand inside his jeans pocket looking at her with the same charming eyes that he's been giving her the whole day since they met.

"I guess yeah." She giggled at her words, making him smile.

"Ok then. Good night." He waved at her and she returned the gesture while turning around and taking the same route back to her house.

On her way back, she thought of the times she spent here with her first boyfriend. He was sweet. And most importantly, he was the first person that didn't care about the judging eyes of others. He was the only one who thought of her as a beautiful person. 

The time was nearing dawn when she reached her house. But instead of knocking on the front door, she walked to the backyard of the house and sat on the floor Infront of the back door.

From there she could see the sun halfway setting. The sky was filled with beautiful colors of orange and pink. The scenery was so beautiful which could make a person smile but this scene was Cassie's nightmare.

She recalled the time when her boyfriend broke up with her ten years ago on this field.

Flashback 

'Cassandra, you never thought you were good enough for me did you?' he asked her. Her eyes were filled with tears threatening to spill out.

'What are you saying? Where's this all coming from?' Cassie's younger self asked him. She was confused. They returned back from their school hand in hand and they were talking about exams and all those normal things when suddenly he started saying he wants to break up with her.

'It was always there, Cassandra. You have problems. And I am not the type who wants to deal with them. You are the typical jerk we see in highschool movies and how did you even believe a popular boy like me would settle for you?' He asked while his voice turned mocking.

Cassandra fought the lump in the back of her throat. The only person she thought she would trust is a sly fox. He has been lying to her all these times.

'You've said you liked me.' she breathed out weakly. Her head felt light and other things around her got blurry.

'Why? Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend then?' she asked desperately this time.

She never wanted to be in relationships from the beginning. He came to her asking for her attention. Not the other way around and now he's saying he never liked her? Then why?

'It's easy, Carolina asked me to be with you for some days and she said something about unfinished business with you.' As soon as he finished his words, she heard giggling voices behind her, saw a leg that belonged to one girl who's covering behind the corner of her house and they were all giggling silently. 

'Stupid. I'm stupid! How could I imagine someone like him asking me out as a normal thing? Of course this is one of Carolina's jokes. She has a problem with me.' She thought to herself.

'Ok then. I guess it's time we get out girls.' Talking about the devil, Carolina came out of her hiding spot with a baseball bat on her left hand swinging it back and forth.

At Carolina's voice, all of her other minions came out of their hiding place and encircled the couple.

Most of them had things in their hands. Rachel had enormous rings in each of her fingers.

Leah had cameras in her hand. She was filming the whole thing. Sasha was wearing black boots that added two to three inches to her height.

'What are you all doing here?' Cassandra asked while wiping her tears behind her eye glasses. She had difficulty seeing anything with her glasses off.

' What do you think, you b*tch?' Sasha snickered at Cassandra. She was already thinking the worst out of this situation. Her mother wasn't staying home this time of the week. She was out of town on a date with her new French boyfriend. And the only person she told this about is her boyfriend.

That only means one thing, he told them when to attack her alone. 'Now girls, I don't want to be a part of this. And call me when you get finished.' he said and went past Cassandra to where Carolina was standing with her baseball bat. 

'I'll call you, babe.' Carolina said smiling as he came nearing her and they kissed goodbye in front of Cassandra and he went out with that. 

Cassandra was having it hard to breathe with every passing second. As she turned to his departing figure and voiced out the only thing that came to her mind. 

'Please, don't leave me here, Jaden!' she yelled as Carolina's bat came crashing on her abdomen and she fell down from the extreme pain she felt.

He only turned around and gave her one last glance before going about his way.

End of flashback

"Cassie? I didn't hear you coming back." Sarrah interrupted Cassie's thoughts when she saw her daughter at the entrance of the back door staring at the empty field as if she was reminiscing about something.

At the mention of her name, Cassie looked up to see her mother and forced a smile. "Oh I just came here." She said and stood up dusting her dress. 

"It's so dark out here, come inside." Her mother said and she went back inside with her mother to the house she left ten years ago.

"Cassie, I want you to stay here with me. Jaden called and told me how you think you would be a burden to me but." She held Cassie's hands and smiled. "I'd be glad to have my beautiful daughter here with me." She finished.

'I bet you wouldn't even spare me a glance if I didn't come here looking as how I'm looking right now.' Cassie thought to herself and agreed to her mother's offer to stay in her mother's house.