Chapter 24

Cassandra’s Point of View- Night of the Wedding

                My hands were jittery, as I stared at Everett from across the ballroom. I tugged on the hem of my pink dress nervously, biting on my lower lips. I had to do this- it was now or never. I kept reminding myself that what I was about to do to Everett was not only pure evil, but complete and utter betrayal to the two years of friendship that we had. But, I had to do this, not for me, but for my sister.

                Blinking back the tears that were welling up my eyes, I forced a smile upon my face, making my way towards Everett. He seemed to notice my coming towards him, giving me a small smile. “Cassandra, hey.” He paused, taking a sip of the red punch that he had in his hand. “Are you enjoying the party?”

                I nodded, giving him a wide smile. Smiling so hard made my cheeks burn, but I had to keep this up this act. “Who isn’t?” I let out a laugh. “Tell your father congrats, by the way.”

                Everett nodded. “Thanks.”

                I gulped, before taking in a deep breath of air. “So, Everett,” I began, catching his attention, “Riley was just talking to me a few minutes ago, and she told me to bring you up to one of the suites at nine forty-five.”

                Even in the dark lights, I saw Everett’s cheeks turning pink. I felt my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach with guilt, knowing that I was not only going to hurt him, but I was going to hurt Riley, as well. I stared at the silver watch that I purposely wore today, showing him that the long handle pointed at the nine. “It’s time, Everett.” I gave him a teasing look. “Are you going to stand Riley up or what?”

                Everett seemed completely convinced, falling right into the trap that I had set up for him- along with Katie, of course. “Alright, lead me to the suite.” Everett said, following me out of the noisy ballroom.

                As Everett and I stepped into the elevator to head to the second floor, I kept replaying the plan in my mind. Katie specifically told me what to do. First, I had to get him to believe that Riley wanted to meet him up in the suite. Check. Second, I needed to get him to follow me up there. Check.

                “Second floor, right?” Everett asked, stepping out of the elevator. “I think we’re here.”

                I plastered a smile across my face. “Great!” I said, a little too enthusiastically. My switch of tone caught Everett off guard, as he gave me a curious look. I simply ignored him, as I led him all the way down the narrow hallway, in front of room 231. I swiped the card in the lock to open the door, as Everett gave me a look.

                “Why do you have the key?” he asked suspiciously.

                I let out a weak laugh, fear creeping up inside of me. If I even slipped once, I was going to be busted. I had to do everything against my will to make sure that didn’t happen. “Oh, Riley told me that she might be a few minutes late, so she gave me the key in advance, just so she wouldn’t keep us waiting.”

                Everett nodded, stepping inside the room, as closed the door behind us. “Wow, this is a nice room.” He muttered under his breath.

                While Everett had his back turned, I took the bottle of wine from the cooler, quietly unscrewing the cap. I poured some in a glass, and just as Everett was about to turn around, I rushed up behind him. This caused me to spill my glass of red wine all over his dress shirt. I faked a gasp, as I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” I squealed, trying to rub the wine off of his white dress shirt, only resulting the stain to smudge and grow bigger.

                “It’s fine.” Everett mumbled, his tone having a slight edge of irritation in it. “Let me just go to the bathroom to clean it up.”

                I nodded, giving him a weak smile. “Just try to hurry up, Riley will be here any minute.” I reminded him, as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

                I waited five minutes precisely, before Everett came out from the bathroom. He was shirtless, his dress shirt drenched in his hands. He gave me a side smile, before chuckling. “I tried getting the stain out, but that didn’t work out too well.”

                I held back a laugh, before giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, I’m just a little clumsy.” I shrugged innocently. “Do you want me to dry clean it?”

                 “No, it’s fine. I should’ve watched where I was going.” Everett said, shaking his head. I watched as Everett tossed his wet shirt off to the side, exactly where I wanted to be- on the floor.

                Step three, get his shirt off, check.

                Now how on Earth was I going to get him to unbuckle his belt?

                I licked my dry lips, an idea suddenly coming into my mind. I frowned, as I stared up at Everett. “Everett, has anyone ever told you that your pants are a bit too high?” I asked, scrunching my nose to add dramatization. I was lying, of course. If anything, Everett’s pants were a little too low. They slung perfectly at his hips, showing off the bones that formed a V.

                Everett raised an eyebrow, staring down at where his pants hung on his hips. “No?” he asked, before running a hand through his hair. “Why, are they?”

                “Just a little bit. I don’t think Riley would like it if your pants are up your ass.” I lied, adding in a little laugh. “Just unbuckle the belt, and then they’ll be fine.”

                Everett was definitely on my case now, because he gave me a look of curiosity. He blinked, studying me long and hard, before nodding slowly. “Okay?” he asked uncertainly, carefully unbuckling the leather belt that ran across the loops of the pants.

                Step four, check.

                I backed away from Everett, as I leaned against the door. I pressed my ears against the door when he wasn’t looking, hearing footsteps come down the hall. I took in a deep breath of air, knowing exactly what I had to do next.

                I’m sorry.

                Luckily for me, Everett was standing right by the edge of the bed. I pushed him backwards as his eyes suddenly widened. Taking him by surprise, I straddled Everett, as he began to try to push me off of him. I clung onto him as tight as I could, hearing the sound of the doorknob twisting. I squeezed my eyes shut, as I began to press my lips against Everett’s neck, leaving all sorts of lipstick stains all over him. I felt the pressure of Everett’s hands trying to push me off, but I wrapped myself around him, unable to let go.

                The door swung open.

                Perfect timing.

                                Riley’s Point of View- Present

                There were moments where I wished that I could just block certain things out of my life. As of now, I wish that I could remove someone whose been chasing me in school all day. She just won’t get the hint that I don’t want to talk to her. “Riley,” Cassandra shouted down the empty school hallways, making me stop in my tracks, “can I please talk to you?”

                I clenched my fists as my nails dug into the flesh of my palms. Biting on my lower lip, I turned around to face the disheveled blonde who stood before me. Cassandra never looked as bad as she did now- her blonde hair was untamed and there were evident dark circles under her eyes. As I looked closely, I noticed that her eyes were bloodshot red, as if she had just finished crying before she came to me. I almost pitied her, but I knew I couldn’t. She had been playing an act all along, and as far as I was concerned, I could never trust her again.

                “Cassandra,” I spat her name out like a bitter taste that was lingering on the tip of my tongue, “there really is nothing to talk about between the two of us.”

                As I studied Cassandra’s face, I noticed that there was a slight scratch on her left cheek, from where Maria had slapped her just yesterday. “Look, I know you have every right to be mad at me right now, but I just want to explain myself.” Cassandra pleaded, her voice never sounding so desperate before.

                I wanted to believe her- I wanted to believe the girl that I trusted so much. I told Cassandra everything and she used it to my disadvantage. I felt used and played. “Cass,” I said her name in such a harsh tone, like I was mocking her; “there would be nothing to explain if you hadn’t betrayed me.”

                I gave her one last look, before turning away. I took exactly two steps, until Cassandra interrupted me. “Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious, though?” She asked in a voice so quiet that it sent shivers down my spine. “Aren’t you curious about what my intentions were?”

                I hated to admit it, but she was right. For the past few days, it has been eating me alive. It was killing me to not know why Everett and Cassandra all the sudden decided to hook up behind mine and Max’s backs. I would stay up certain nights without any sleep, wondering what their motives were. Was it to try to hurt me? If it was, it worked.

                “Riley, please know that I didn’t want to do what I had to.” Cassandra whispered. “If you want to hear my explanation, come by The Gingerbread House after school. You could bring Max if you want.”

                I closed my eyes for a brief second, but when I turned around, Cassandra was no longer where she was a few minutes ago; she left.

*

                “Riley, where are you taking me?” Max grunted as I dragged him towards The Gingerbread House after school.

                I decided to go meet with Cassandra to hear her explanation. I didn’t exactly know if I was doing the right thing by giving her a chance to explain herself, but curiosity always got the best of me. “We’re meeting someone here today.” I explained, as we stopped at the front steps of the café.

                Max rolled his eyes, running a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. “Meeting who?” he asked, before he peered through the transparent glass windows. As soon as he saw the back of Cassandra turned towards us, his eyes widened. He immediately shook his head, trying to escape from the grip that I had on his arm. “No, no, no, Riley! I’m not meeting her out of all people! Why are you even taking me here?”

                “Max, calm down.” I hissed, not wanting to cause a scene. “Cassandra found me in the halls today and asked for a chance to explain-”

                “And you’re going to let her?” Max cut me off, anger suddenly sending a rush of redness to his cheeks. “That’s ridiculous, Riley. You can’t let her do that after she hurt us like that!”

                I let out a deep breath of air, pushing my bangs behind my ears. “Max, you aren’t letting me finish.” I snapped, crossing my arms stubbornly. Max gave me a hesitant glance before sighing. I cleared my throat in satisfaction, before continuing. “I wanted to take her up on the offer because I wanted to find out why she did it.”

                Max stayed silent for a long time as I kept my eye on Cassandra, who seemed to be sipping on a mug. She turned around from the stool that she was sitting on, scanning her eyes outside of the window. As soon as she locked eyes with me, a small smile appeared on her face. I immediately looked away, not wanting to give her the impression that I’ve forgiven her, because I haven’t. I don’t know if I ever will.

                “Max, she just saw us.” I whispered, tugging on his arm. “We have to go in, now.”

              Max licked his lips, before nodding slowly. “Fine.” He muttered under his breath. “But, don’t expect me to be nice.”

                I nodded in agreement, as Max opened the door for me to go inside. I reluctantly took a step inside, breathing in the strong scent of brewed coffee beans, the smell bringing back memories that Everett and I created here. My heart suddenly ached, as I took a gulp, ignoring the panging feeling inside my chest.

Cassandra spotted the two of us by the entrance, as she waved us over. Max made an unpleasant groan as we approached the booth that Cassandra had saved for us. She sat on one side, while Max and I took the opposite side. “I didn’t think you guys were going to show up.” Cassandra said quietly, wrapping her hands around her mug. “But thank you for coming.”

                “Don’t thank us.” Max grunted, avoiding all eye contact with Cassandra. “We came because we wanted an explanation.”

                I was the color of Cassandra’s eyes turn dark with sadness as the corners of her lips turned downwards. “Right,” she mumbled under her breath, biting the insides of her cheeks nervously, “maybe I could start after you guys order a drink?”

                I looked down, noticing that Max was tightening his fists under the table. I could tell that he was getting angry by the way his jaw was clenching. I wanted to tell him to take in a deep breath, but I couldn’t. “We don’t want drinks.”Max gritted through his teeth.

                I suddenly noticed how I’ve never seen Max show this kind of emotion before. He was always the happier out of the two of us and I barely ever got to see him this distressed. My heart suddenly swelled for him as I sank back in my seat. Cassandra must’ve meant a lot to Max if she affected him this way.

                “Okay, no drinks then.” Cassandra whispered, before clearing her throat. “Let’s start with the plan that Katie had plotted out. Once she saw that Riley was slowly coming back into Everett’s life, she got angry and jealous. She wanted to do everything she could to make you stay out of Everett’s life, but nothing worked. The love between the two of you was just too strong to break. She saw that you and I were becoming friends and naturally, she wanted to use me as bait. You see, Katie has something against me. If I didn’t listen to her demands, then she would expose my secret to everybody.”

                “What’s your secret?” I interrupted her, making her eyes snap up at me.

                I could tell that Cassandra was reluctant to tell us. Her leg was shaking under the table nervously and she was drumming her fingers against the table. Cassandra’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “Riley, I know you probably blame yourself for the death of Everett’s mother, but it wasn’t your fault.” Cassandra’s voice broke, as a single tear rolled down her cheek, touching the side of her nose. “The person that crashed against Everett’s mother was my sister. She had a few drinks that afternoon from a bad breakup and her car just swiveled out of control and hit Everett’s mother.”

                My throat was dry as I stared impassively at Cassandra. My heart was beating out of my chest from anxiety, as I felt myself digging my nails into my flesh. I didn’t know what to think at the moment. Cassandra’s sister was the reason why Colette died? It simply didn’t make sense- how come no one knew of it?

                “My sister did a hit and run.” Cassandra whispered, her voice hoarse. “That’s why she was never convicted. Once she pulled away, she called me first and told me that she was leaving town. I still remember myself so frantically confused over the phone. I didn’t know why my sister was leaving so suddenly, until she told me that she ran over Everett’s mother.”

                I closed my eyes tightly, before letting out a shaky breath. “What the hell has this gotten to do with anything, Cassandra?” I hissed under my breath. “Why the fuck are you telling me this?”

                Cassandra looked taken aback by my sudden outburst, as she bit her lower lip. “Katie was my best friend, so I trusted her with everything. I told her about what my sister did, and she swore not to tell a soul.” She paused. “But, she used it against me to get what she wanted. She wanted me to become close with you so that I could break you and Everett apart, and so that Katie can have Everett all to herself. She suggested that I date Max to get closer to you and find out all your secrets.”

                Tears suddenly filled my eyes, as I tried to make them go away by blinking. I bit on my lower lip, feeling my heart drop to my stomach. “What I did was horrible, and I’m sorry.” Cassandra whispered. “But, I hope you understand that I had to protect my sister.”

                “So you were willing to use and manipulate the people who trusted you?” Max asked, slamming his fist against the table, making it shake.

                Cassandra stared down at her intertwined fingers, pursing her lips. “This may not mean a lot right now, but I just want you guys to know that our friendship was real to me. It may not have been at first, but I genuinely began to like you guys.” Cassandra whispered. “Riley, I really considered you a sister as our friendship grew stronger. And Max, I hate myself for using you, but I really do love you.”

                Max closed his eyes, before abruptly getting up from his seat. I heard the sound of the café door opening and closing, as I stared at Max walking away from the café outside the window.

                Cassandra let out a shaky breath, before sighing. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, do I?” she mumbled under her breath.

                “No.” I said honestly, pushing my tears back. “You really don’t.”

                I began to get up and leave, following Max, but before I could get away, Cassandra stopped me. “Wait, Riley.” Cassandra said. “I just want to let you know that Everett had no part in this. I forced him into what we were doing at the night of the wedding to make it look more than what it really was.”

                I stared at her long and hard, before nodding. “Okay.” I whispered.

*

                It was a cold Friday night, the first snowfall of the winter. Everett’s parents, Colette and Jeremy, were stuck upstate visiting their parents. They couldn’t drive home tonight because of the blizzard outside. I had originally planned to leave Everett’s house before midnight, but my mother and Everett agreed that it wasn’t safe for me to walk home alone, so I stayed over at his house for the night.

                Everett’s arms were snaked around my waist, our noses literally centimeters from touching. I had to hold in my breath from the close proximity between us. Even though the two of us had been dating for a little over a year now, I still got nervous when I was around him. Everett’s eyes wandered over my face, studying every feature. “What’s wrong?” I whispered, my breath fanning over his upper lip. “Is there something on my face?”

                Everett was silent for a second, before his hand cupped my left cheek, the one that wasn’t pressed up against a pillow. “No.” he said softly, stroking his thumb over my cheekbone. “I just can’t get over how beautiful you are.”

                I felt my cheeks turn red, and I silently thanked God that the room was dark enough so that Everett couldn’t see me blush. “Everett,” I whispered, letting out a laugh, “that’s cheesy.”

                “You love it.” He muttered, pressing his lips against mine, making me legs go weak.

                I closed my eyes, feeling his long eyelashes brush against my cheekbones. I let out a staggered breath as Everett pulled away, making me breathless. “I really do.” I whispered.

                Everett’s eyes suddenly zeroed in on mine, making me study his forest green orbs. I suddenly wondered how it was humanly possible for one to have such bright, lucid eyes. Everett’s eyes were so incredibly rare, as if they were extraterrestrial.

                “Hey,” he said gently, brushing a strand of my hair behind my ears, “do you know what my favorite color is?”

                I frowned, suddenly wondering why Everett was asking me such a question. Of course I knew what his favorite color was- black. We’ve been best friends since we were four, I would be dishonored if I didn’t know the correct answer to his question. “That’s easy.” I let out a laugh, smiling. “It’s black, isn’t it?”

                “It used to be.” Everett said lightly.

                I frowned, raising an eyebrow. “What?” I asked, suddenly confused. “What are you talking about, Everett? It’s always been black.”

                Everett shook his head, before leaning in closer to me so that our noses brushed. “But, I’ve changed my favorite color.” He paused. “I mean, I can change it, can’t I?”

                I blinked, before nodding slowly. “I guess you can.” I said quietly. “What is it, then?”

                Everett gave me a small smile. “Brown.” He whispered, in the lowest voice possible.

              I frowned, not understanding. “Brown?” I repeated as Everett nodded. “Why brown? Brown is such a muddy color.”

                Everett chuckled, before shaking his head. “No, Riley.” He mumbled. “Not that brown. I’m talking about your brown- your eyes.”

                I was in a state of shock for a moment, until my eyes finally widened in realization. “O-oh.” I said pathetically.

                I was surprised, but words could not explain how satisfied I was that my eye color was Everett’s favorite color. I’ve never thought of my brown eyes as anything special- they were just brown. Brown eyes were the most common, they were dominant. What made mine so special? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to question Everett. As long as Everett said so, I believed it myself.

                I always believed what Everett said, because Everett never lies.

For those who have been wondering, I just wanted to make it clear that I update once a week! Also, in the last chapter(23), Everett and Cassandra didn't actually sleep together! I know I didn't make that clear, and I hoped this chapter helped. 

Thank you all for the amount of votes and comments you've been giving me! I try my best to read all the comments, even though I may only reply to some of them. And thank you for helping me reach #5 on the Teen Fiction charts. It's the highest I've ever gotten, and I flipped when I found out.

The picture on the side is Riley Monroe, played by Danielle Campbell.