15th April 1995

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Logan glanced at his algebra test paper as soon as the teacher had slammed it on his desk with a look of disapproval. That was when he knew that his situation was worse than he thought.

94 percent.

94 percent?

This was the first time in five years that he'd got anything short of a perfect score and he didn't even want to think of what had happened to him then when he was only two marks short.

This was terrible news. His mother was going to skin him alive and feed his bones to the dogs or worse still torture him with her hurtful words.

Ever since Logan's father had died when he was only five years old, his mother had grown cold and distant. It was a difficult situation watching her beloved husband suffer and die because he needed a heart transplant and they could not afford it.

Mrs. Richards had vowed that their status would change. She was hardworking and desperate to break free from the chains of poverty but no matter how hard she strived, the fact that she was uneducated was always a limiting factor. That was why she swore that her only child would get the best education possible.

Logan was not allowed to do anything asides study and excel in his academics. His mother would never allow anything less than perfection. The only friend he was allowed to keep was James because his family had been of immense support during the times of their trial.

The great thing was that Logan knew all the rules and had strictly abided by them. He'd never thought of his life as a mere prison yard and his mother a warden until he'd met the beautiful, tall, slender girl named Cassie.

Now, all he longed for was to be free to love and protect her. But it was hard, he was scared and he was doing the best thing for both of them, staying away. 

As his luck would have it, his day could only get worse as he'd stepped outside his school building and noticed James' car parked out front.

Damn! There was no way to escape. The ever so cheerful boy was already approaching him.

"Why have you been so difficult to run into these days, bro?" James asked with a bright smile as he extended his hands for their usual handshake, which was an embarrassing product of two five-year-olds ' imagination.

"Been busy with school," Logan said dismissively.

"Are you busy right now?" He asked enthusiastically.

Logan would've said yes and done everything to avoid his best friend because he hated to lie to him or betray his trust, then again, going home to face his mother was not exactly something he was looking forward to.

"No actually."

"Great! Guess what?" James asked and before he could make an attempt, he continued. "Today is Cassie's birthday. I am throwing her a surprise party at my place. How amazing is that?"

Logan forced a smile. This would without doubt be the worst day of his life.

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It was a great party. James had carefully planned out everything. The idea was to give Cassie the best day she'd ever experienced in her life because he was heartbroken to learn that she'd never celebrated her birthday before.

Although it felt like everything was going great, Logan could tell that behind all of Cassie's fake smiles, this was just another sad day for her. What he didn't know and wasn't interested in finding out was why. 

Instead, he'd left the large garden and went into the guest bedroom downstairs to get away from Cassie who kept stealing glances at him.

He sat there in solitude and to avoid any further thoughts, he began solving maths problems. These were logical and easy to handle; unlike feelings and emotions.

It was not long before the door was opened. Cassie got in walking backwards and taking quick peeks as though to ensure no one saw her entering. She shut the door, exhaled and rested her head against it.

Logan watched her wide-eyed as she took out a bottle of alcoholic beverage and took a long swig till it was almost half empty.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed with a frown and she'd turned to face him with shock on her face. "Are you following me?"

"What are you doing here?" They spoke simultaneously.

"That is alcohol," he pointed out as though it was not obvious enough.

She rolled her eyes at him as she took another swig and walked forward towards him. "That is mathematics." She pointed at the notebook in front of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're supposed to be out there having fun, but you'd rather hide in here and take..." He scrunched his nose in disgust. "alcohol?"

"Nothing is wrong with me." She scoffed and brought the bottle to her lips again.

Logan got up and walked even closer to her, taking in the appearance of the girl that had utterly charmed him. He wanted to run away just as much as he wanted to stay and rummage through the complicated emotions she aroused in him.

"What is going on with you, Cassie?" He asked as he placed a hand on her cheek and tucked her long, black hair behind her ears, looking deeply into her sad eyes.

"I am a strong girl. How do you always manage to make me so vulnerable?" She asked as she moved even closer to him, as though trying to eliminate every gap between them. Her proximity was going to drive him insane. He tried to move away but she wrapped her tiny hands around his waist.

"Cassie... You're drunk."

"I told him I didn't want a fucking party. There's nothing to celebrate on a day my birth mother dumped me in front of an orphanage," she whispered as she looked deeply into his eyes, holding unto him as though scared that if she didn't, he'd leave her as well.

Logan wrapped his hands around her and put her head to rest on his shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"What is it with you, Logan? You offer me comfort and solace and when I feel like I can trust you, you just disappear." He could hear the pain in her voice.

"Cassie..." he trailed off because he had no words and she pulled her head back to stare at him.

"Please, don't leave me."

"This is wrong."

"I know," she whispered as she bit her lips, staring at his. Logan hated what was going on. His body was tense and he had a painfully hard erection.

"Stay away from me, please," He whispered his plea even though he would rather the exact opposite.

"I want to."

"What have you done to me?" He asked with a deep sigh, struggling to stay in control which was getting more difficult every passing second.

She gave a seductive smile and that was when he knew it was over for him. Before Cassie could reply, he'd attacked her with a passionate kiss which she responded to immediately in likewise manner.

There was so much pent-up anger, frustration, emotion, passion, and lust that carried them to the bed, as they almost violently stripped each other off their clothes.

They tried and they couldn't stop till all the clothes, as well as every last inch between them, was gone.

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Cassie lay still with conflicting thoughts as Logan slowly and quietly picked himself up from her side and began to put on his clothes. She felt the need to do the same but she was weak from sole to crown.

She'd only ever had sex with an ex-boyfriend. A boy she used to date before having to move to her new foster home. It felt more like an obligation. After all, he provided her with extra money, nice gifts, and comfort amidst her chaotic life. That was why James' innocence was a welcome breath of fresh air.

With Logan, it was completely different.

She wanted it to go on forever. It felt as though he had set her body on fire. He worked on every curve and crevice, like she was one of his arithmetic problems — and he was all too familiar with their formulas. To say she enjoyed it could be the understatement of a century.

However, the thoughts that came after were nothing a seventeen-year-old girl wanted to deal with. She'd not only cheated on her boyfriend with his best friend, but she'd also done it under his roof, under his nose.

She felt dirty and evil. All these thoughts weighed her down on the bed, unable to move.

"Cassie..." Logan called out silently as he sat at the edge of the bed with his head in his hands as though he was disappointed and filled with regret. It made her feel even worse. 

She sat up and reached for her dress which she threw on. "Logan, I'm going to talk to him..." She started and trailed off, taking deep breaths.

"Please, don't."

"What?" She was confused and her mouth hung open.

"I can't be the person you want me to be or the person that you deserve, Cassie," the words rolled out in a painful whisper.

She shook her head in anticipation of the next blow that would come to hit her.

"This was a mistake and this is the last time we'd ever see each other," he added as he got up from the bed and began heading for the door.

She hurried after him and was quick enough to get in between him and the door. She needed to look into his eyes. That would tell her the truth.

"Logan... I think I have feelings for you," she confessed with tears in her eyes.

He placed his hands on her cheeks and stared deeply into her eyes. "You said it the last time that you had to make the right choice. If I was to choose between James and myself, I'd pick him a thousand times. He's a great guy, he has a great family, he loves you deeply, he can take care of you. I'm sorry about what happened, I'm sorry for coming into your life, I'm sorry for hurting you." He placed a light kiss on her forehead before moving away from her.

Cassie had no words left to say as he stepped out of the room, unbeknownst to him that he'd taken her heart along.

She sat on the ground with tears strolling down her cheeks and she reached for her bottle of alcohol and downed what was left of it.

When James found her, she had a great excuse. She never asked for a party. The 15th of April was not a day she liked to celebrate.