Chapter 20

                “I hope that one day I can love you the way you love me.” Paige, from The Vow, said with her voice slightly trembling. Her eyes were getting moist, looking as if she was on the verge of tears.

                “Oh my God, this is one of my favorite parts.” Maria began to tear up, as she grabbed a tissue from her box of Kleenex, dabbing her eyes gently. The doorbell suddenly rang as Maria angrily grabbed the remote to pause the movie before Leo spoke. “Everett! Get the door!”

                I heard the sound of Everett jogging down the stairs, as he shot Maria a glare before opening the front door. I leaned back a little to try to see who it was, but from Everett’s expression, he seemed a bit confused. “What are you doing here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at whoever was by the door.

                Maria groaned, as she reached over. “I don’t have the patience for this. Channing Tatum is on the screen!” her thumb was about to press down on the play button, but not before Everett interrupted her.

                “Maria, your boyfriend’s here to see you.” Everett said, almost teasing her.

                Maria stared back at him with a frown, before blinking. “What are you talking about, Everett?” she snapped, rolling her eyes. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

                “Jared.” Everett finally sighed, folding his arms over his chest. “Jared is here to see you.”

                Maria’s cheeks immediately turned red, as her eyes went wide. She immediately turned to me with a panicked expression, as she patted down her hair furiously. “Oh my Lord, Jared is here!” she hissed, trying to untangle her unruly, dark curls. “Do I look okay? Are my eyes red?”

                I snatched a tissue, as I rubbed her eyes carefully. As I did one final touch, as I pushed Maria off of the couch. “You’re fine!” I assured. “Now go, your boyfriend is waiting for you!” I grinned.

                Maria blushed once again, before glaring at Everett and I. “The both of you,” she paused, as she began walking out, tugging her shirt down, “suck!”

                We heard faintly as Maria greeted Jared, her voice going slightly higher than usual. I finally heard the front door close, as I turned back to the television screen with Rachel McAdams on it. Before hitting the play button, I grabbed the bowl of popcorn from the coffee table, settling it down on my lap.

                “What are you watching?” Everett suddenly asked, taking the empty seat beside me on the couch.

                I stared at him with surprise, feeling just a little nervous. The two of us hadn’t exactly spoken since our kiss a few days ago. “T-The Vow.” I told him, clearing my throat as I noticed it getting pitchy.

                “Can I join?” he asked, leaning over my lap to grab a handful of popcorn.

                His arms gently brushed against my bare thighs, leaving a burning sensation from where his skin had touched mine. “Are you sure? It’s The Vow.” I asked, literally scoffing. “The last time we watched a chick flick, you fell asleep halfway through the movie.”

                I still remembered the last time Everett and I watched a movie together, back when we were fifteen. It was my turn to choose the movie, and I decided to tease him by picking a chick flick, Bring it On. It wasn’t one of my favorite movies, but I knew we had to watch it when I saw Everett cringing once I picked it up.

                “Come on, Everett, it’s a cheerleading movie.” I punched his shoulder gently. “You should like watching girls flip around with their stomachs out.”

                Everett rolled his eyes, before wrapping his arms around my waist. He buried his face in my neck, as he gently pecked on my skin. “Babe, who needs half naked cheerleaders when I have you?”

                I couldn’t deny that my cheeks were becoming warm, but I still managed to slip a grin. “Stop lying, Everett.” I flicked his nose, as he accidentally tickled my sides, making me burst into laughter. “You would love it if I was a cheerleader.”

                Everett pulled away from me, looking at me dead in the eyes. His green eyes turned bright and lucid, as he pushed a strand of my hair out of my face. “No, I wouldn’t, Riley.” He said, his voice full of honesty. “I like you the way you are.”

                “Really?” I asked, sounding weak and breathless.

                “Really.” He repeated, leaning in to press his lips against mine.

                Everett’s laugh snapped me out of trance, sending me back into reality. I turned towards him, noticing how much more attractive he looked when he was smiling. “Are you talking about that dumb cheerleading movie?” He chuckled, leaning his back against the couch comfortably. My eyes began to wander across his face, trying to hide back a smile. On the inside, I was screaming because he had remembered, as well. “That one doesn’t count.”

                I raised an eyebrow. “How come you get to call the shots here?”

                Everett chuckled, his eyes shining brighter by the second. “Because I can.” He stubbornly retorted. “Now, are you going to click the play button any time soon?”

                I gave him a long stare, as he gave me a daring grin. I rolled my eyes playfully, before jamming my thumb on the play button. “You figured it out once. You’ll do it again.” Leo spoke, as Channing Tatum’s gorgeous face appeared on the screen.

                Just as I had expected, Everett had fallen asleep in just half an hour back into the movie. But before that, I could tell that he was trying his very hardest to keep awake. I caught him once or twice trying to conceive a yawn. Eventually, Everett couldn’t resist anymore, and his eyes just gave up. I debated on whether or not to wake him up, but I finally decided not to. He just looked too peaceful and innocent in his sleep. He didn’t have that usual frown on his face- one that he had developed after the death of his mother.

                Everett began to stir in his sleep, as I gently lifted his head, placing it upon my lap. Licking my lips, I hesitantly brushed a strand of hair away from his face. The touch of my fingers to his skin instantly made him smile faintly in his sleep. I began to wonder if he was just having a good dream, or that my touch had soothed him. I stared back up at the dim lit screen, my fingers unknowingly running through Everett’s hair.

                After the movie was over, I had turned off the television. Everett was still fast asleep on my lap. Since the lights were out during the movie, the room was not completely dark. I checked the time that flashed across my screen on my phone, noticing that it was just a little bit past ten. I hadn’t heard any noise throughout the movie, meaning that everyone, including Maria, was still out of the house. I slowly got up, not wanting to disturb Everett. But, he must’ve felt some kind of movement, because when I stood up, his eyes opened.

               He glanced up at me with tired eyes, slowly sitting up. “Riley?” his hoarse voice spoke, sending chills down my spine. Everett noticed that the TV was off, meaning that he had, indeed, slept throughout the entire movie. “Shit, I fell asleep, didn’t I?”

                I laughed, hitting the light switch, before crossing my arms over my chest. “You did,” I said, crouching on the floor to pick up a few pieces of popcorn that had fallen on the carpet, “for an hour, exactly.”

                Everett groaned, as his eyes began to slowly close, once again. “Sorry about that.” He muttered, obviously not fully awakened yet. “Maria isn’t home yet, is she?”

                I shook my head. “Yeah, so aren’t your father and Mrs. Lopez. Do you have any idea where they are?”

                “I think they went into the city to stay with my grandparents for the night.” Everett said.

                I licked my lips, nodding slowly. “Right.” I mumbled. “It’s getting late, I should probably head home soon.”

                Everett’s eyes opened, as he stared at me. “You’re leaving, already?” his voice hinted a bit of disappointment, making hope bubble up inside me.

                “Yeah,” I nodded, “it’s already ten.”

                Everett shrugged. “Then why don’t you stay for the night?”

                My eyes widened, as I stared at Everett with disbelief. His face left no traces of dishonesty, as I cleared my throat, feeling a warm blush creeping up my neck. “W-what do you mean?” I stuttered. “Like, sleep here for tonight?”

                “Yes.” Everett chuckled, shooting me a tired smirk. “What, are you scared that I’ll try something on you?”

                I shot him a glare. “No,” I paused, “it’s just I can’t remember the last time I spent the night at your house.”

                Everett looked at me with saddened eyes, his green eyes going dark and dull. He stretched the back of his neck, giving me a weak smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asked, as I nodded slowly. “Well, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed for the night. It’s been kind of lonely these past two years without you, anyways.”

                I tried to hide back the beating of my heart against my ribcage, as I gave him a tight smile. “What are you saying, Everett?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “Are you admitting that you actually missed me?”

                Everett stood up, licking his bottom lip. He paced over towards me, holding both of my hands in his. The way his eyes looked at me made me go weak in the knees, as I found myself holding my breath. The way his green eyes focused on me made me feel special- as if I were the only thing that mattered to him at the moment. His fingers gently brushed against my cheekbone, before they shifted over a bit to brush my hair behind my ears. “Let’s go upstairs.” He whispered. “I’ll get you something to wear to bed.”

                Still holding one of my hands, Everett led me upstairs. “Do you want to wear something of mine, or do you want me to go find something in Maria’s room?”

                Back when I used to come to spend nights at Everett’s house traditionally, I would always borrow a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt that was way too big on me. I didn’t complain, though, because quite frankly, I loved wearing Everett’s clothes. It always made me feel special- like I was officially his. But now, things were different. “I’ll just wear something of yours.” I said, as Everett nodded.

I followed him into his room, as I watched him rummage through his dressers. He finally pulled out an oversized white t-shirt with a pair of sweatpants. He handed them over to me, as I muttered a thank you. I went to his bathroom, stripping out of my jeans and sweater, quickly throwing on the clothes he gave me. I couldn’t help but notice how soft the material of his clothing felt on me. I came back out of the bathroom cautiously, carrying my clothes with me. I noticed that Everett was already in his bed, his duvet over his body. I quickly assumed that he was asleep, so I began to tip toe of out of his room. I figured that I would just go and crash in Maria’s bed.

                Just as I was about to reach the door, Everett’s voice stopped me. “Riley,” his croaky voice spoke, “where are you going?”

                I was startled by his sudden voice, as I gave him a sheepish smile in the dark. “I thought you were asleep, so I figured that I would just go sleep in Maria’s bed.”

                For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Finally, I heard the sound of Everett’s sheets moving. I noticed through the moonlight coming from the window that Everett had scooted over a little bit, making enough room for another person to lie in his bed. “Come sleep with me.”

                I stared at Everett’s dark figure with wide eyes, before choking on my saliva. “W-what?” I asked, feeling shaky all the sudden. Why was I getting all nervous? It wasn’t like Everett and I had never shared a bed together before.

                “Riley, you and I are both tired.” He muttered. “Can you stop being stubborn and just come over here already?”

                “But-“

                “Please.” His voice sounded so tired and defeated, making my heart drop.

I slowly, but hesitantly, crawled into the space that he had made for me. My arm accidentally brushed against his chest as I was pulling the blankets over my body, making me realize that he was shirtless. I let out a yelp of surprise, as my head whipped around to face Everett. I bumped my head against his, making the both of us wince in pain.

                “Riley,” he groaned, rubbing his forehead, “what the hell are you doing?”

                My head was throbbing, but that didn’t take away the fact that Everett’s bare chest was literally inches from touching mine. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” I hissed, feeling my cheeks go red. “Don’t you realize that the air conditioner is on? You’ll wake up with a cold or flu! You can’t get sick, because you’ll be all gross and have snot coming out of your nose! Don’t you know how bad it is-“

                I was suddenly cut off, when Everett pressed his palm against my lips, silencing me. He stared back at me with amusement clear in his eyes, as he smirked. “Are you concerned about me, Riley?”

                I stared away from him, pursing my lips. “No.” I lied. “I just don’t want you to catch a cold, and then give it to me.”

                Everett laughed, ignoring what I just said. “You’re so worried about me.”

                “No I’m not!” I retorted.

                “I find it cute.” Everett suddenly said, creating absolute silence in the air.

                I held in my breath, before letting it out shakily. I turned my head away from Everett, facing the opposite direction. “You’re tired, Everett.” I whispered. “Just go to sleep.”

                Everett let out a low grunt, before I felt his arms wrapping around my waist. I felt my heart hammering against my chest, as Everett buried his face into the crook of my neck. At first, my shoulders were tense, but I quickly relaxed when I noticed how good it felt to be held by Everett. As I was on the verge of sleeping, I heard Everett whisper, “I miss this.”

*

                                Cassandra’s Point of View

                “This is so good.” Max said, shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. “Here, try some.”

               Max slowly strode his fork towards my direction, as I suppressed a giggle. Parting my lips, I allowed Max to feed me, all while my heart was thudding against my chest. “Mmm.” I moaned, letting the thick syrup melt on my tongue. “It is good.”

                Max grinned, as he set his fork down on his plate to take a sip of the chocolate milkshake that we were sharing. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears, before clearing my throat. “So, are you and Riley back on good terms now?” I asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. I know what I was doing was going to hurt a lot of people in the long run, but I had to protect myself- and my sister.

                “We actually are.” Max gave me a breathtaking smile, as I felt my legs go weak. “All thanks to you, Cass.”

                I absolutely loved it when he called me “Cass”. There was something about Max’s voice that made me all fuzzy in the stomach whenever he spoke to me. My mind suddenly started to spin, as I tangled my fingers nervously. What the hell was I doing, falling for Max when I wasn’t supposed to like him from the start intentionally, anyways? I forced a smile upon my face, but it never met my eyes. “Oh, really?” I asked. “Has she spoken to you lately?”

                Max laughed, nodding. “She actually called me a couple nights ago, telling me how Everett kissed her at his dad’s wedding banquet.” He paused. “You should’ve heard her voice- she sounded happy for the first time in the two years I’ve known her.”

                My heart began to break at the sight of Max being so protective of Riley. I knew that if I was going to help Katie hurt Riley, then I would lose the both of them, forever. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to lose them.

                “T-They kissed, huh?” I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s about time.”

                “It is.” Max stirred the straw in our chocolate shake. “Everett’s been a complete ass to Riley for the past two years. Let’s just hope he doesn’t fuck things up now.”

                I stared at Max for a long, brutal moment, before I heard my phone ringing from my pocket. Taking my phone out, I scanned my eyes over the caller ID, feeling myself go queasy and pale. “Are you okay, Cass?” Max asked with concern. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

                I snapped out of trance, as I cleared my throat. “I’m fine, Max.” I reassured, sliding myself out of my seat. “I’m just going to answer this in the bathroom, okay?”

                Max gave me a hesitant stare, before nodding slowly. “I’m going to pay for the bill. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

                I nodded, before hurrying off to the ladies room. I stared at my phone screen one last time, before clicking the green answer button. I held the phone up to my ears, letting out a shaky breath. “Katie?” I whispered.

                “It’s about time you answered.” Katie snapped. “You made me wait for eight rings, Cassandra. You should’ve picked up by the first one!”

                I winced, as I stared at myself in the mirror. My reflection did not show who I used to be- a happy girl. It showed someone who was tired and desperate. “I’m sorry.” I sighed, leaning against the sink counter to support my weight. “I was with Max, and I didn’t want him to get suspicious.”

                I heard Katie yelling at her servants on the other line, as I let out a silent groan. Finally, Katie turned her attention back to me. “Okay, what did you say?” she asked. “You were with Max? Did you get him to be friends with Riley, like I asked?”

                “Yes.” I muttered, matting down my unruly blonde hair.

                “Good.” Katie sounded impressed, which made me sigh with relief. “Did he say anything about her?”

                I licked my lips, closing my eyes. I felt completely numb and guilty, knowing that I was hurting two people that I had become so close to for my selfish needs. “Riley and Everett,” I paused, Katie already beginning to seethe, “kissed.”

                I heard something breaking and shattering on the other line, making me cringe. Katie let out a frustrated scream, before she began to breathe heavily on the other line. “Okay.” She gritted through her teeth. “They won’t be together for long. You and I will make sure of it.”

                I sighed. “Right.”

                “Remember, Cassie.” Katie mocked me. “You keep up this good work for me, and no one has to know that your sister was the driver who killed Colette Rosenfeld. Got it?”

                I stared down at the dirty bathroom floors with shame, parting my lips. “Got it.” I faintly muttered.

 On the side bar is a picture of Cassandra! 

It's not as bad as it seems. Okay, nevermind, it is. But other than all of the Cassandra and Katie drama, we got a little bit of action from Riley and Everett. That's at least progress, isn't it?

I want to thank all of you for the support that you've been giving me lately! I'm so happy that we got on #11 on the Teen Fiction charts, and the votes and comments are amazing! Thank you <3