Surviving - Rewritten

Chapter Seven - Believer

Cassandra Blake

It was Monday morning and Cassie was feeling a lot better about life. She and Becky went for coffee again at the weekend and on Thursday and Friday night the week before.

At the weekend Cassie had acquired a new handprint on her check, bruises on her arms and stomach. However, Cassie had covered them up with her crappy old foundation and she tried to remain positive despite her father's way of punishing her for the fact that everything she did was seemingly wrong.

Cassie had a friend now and that made her feel happy, so she didn't care what her dad did. Nothing could take that sliver of happiness away from her.

Cassie met Becky at the school gate and walked to English with her. When they got there, Cassie successfully ignored the three girls that sent her hateful glares and sat down at the back.

"So how was your weekend?" Becky asked, despite the fact that they only saw each other on Saturday.

"It was okay. How was yours?" Cassie wasn't exactly lying, for although she knew that her friendship with Becky was probably just temporary, the fact that she had a friend at all had made her weekend a lot better. Even if her dad did still hit her, it didn't change the fact that for the first time in years Cassie didn't absolutely hate life.

Becky shrugged. "It was okay, my dad has been a bit overbearing recently"

"Why?" Cassie found herself asking, instantly worried for Becky. She hoped that she wasn't being hurt too. Becky certainly didn't deserve anything negative in her life. Cassie knew that how her father treated her wasn't normal thanks to assembly's at school regarding domestic abuse and her health and social class where she had done assignments on it.

"It's just that my family has been through a rough time in the last year and he likes to make sure that we eat properly and all that. It's only because he cares but sometimes it just gets annoying you know?"

Cassie frowned, not understanding; her father had never cared if Cassie ate, and would usually tell her not to. Cassie wasn't sure if that was normal, or if Becky's dad was being like Cassie's in a way. "Well, I'm here if you ever want to talk" Cassie finally replied, hoping that it was the right thing to say.

Becky shrugged. "It's not a big deal, he just gets overbearing sometimes. Thanks though. Is your dad like that?"

"Like what?"

"Overbearing? Or is he like really strict with you? Every time we've gone to the coffee shop, you've rushed out like you're terrified of getting in trouble"

"Oh. Um yeah, he's strict in some ways I guess" Cassie said, not quite sure what to say; before she met Becky, no one had cared enough to ask about her father, so every time he was mentioned Cassie would struggle to reply.

Becky raised her eyebrows at how vague Cassie was been. "Like what?" She pried.

Cassie fidgeted, scratching her arm. She could also feel her hands shaking and was finding it more and more difficult to find words. "He just likes me home at certain times, and likes me to help around the house"

"Oh okay, fair enough" Becky said with a shrug. "Can you go to the coffee shop again after school?"

"Yeah, sure but only for half an hour" Cassie agreed, relieved that Becky had stopped asking about her home life.

The school bell rang for their next lesson and everyone walked into the hallway. Cassie and Becky stopped outside of the science classroom when Becky dropped her phone.

At that moment Lucinda and Blaise walked up to Cassie and Becky. Cassie felt her heart stop, as she looked up at the girl that made her school life absolute hell.

Lucinda smirked "aren't they so cute Blaise? The lesbian and the pathetic little slut?"

Cassie opened her mouth but found that nothing came out. Why did Lucinda hate her so much?

Lucinda laughed "you can't even stand up for yourself. How pathetic"

Becky took a step forward, a menacing look in her eye that made Cassie want to disappear. "What did you just call us?" She asked Lucinda.

"Well, I called you a lesbian. That's what you are isn't it? Why else would you want to befriend Cassie, if it wasn't that you had a crush on her" Lucinda asked, still smirking.

Cassie noticed Becky clench her fists. She knew full well that Becky wasn't a lesbian and that she had a crush on Stefan. Even so, it wouldn't change their friendship if Becky were. Cassie hoped that Becky wasn't homophobic though as she saw just how angry Becky was.

"And why would it matter if I were you uneducated homophobic little bitch?"

Lucinda took a step back from Becky who looked like she was going to attack. "What did you just say to me you fag?"

No one could stop Becky as she lunged forward and punched Lucinda in the face.

Suddenly it was chaos as everyone was screaming and trying to get Becky off Lucinda.

Cassie wanted to do something but found that she was frozen in shock.

Suddenly a couple of teachers stormed in and pulled the two girls apart successfully. Lucinda and Becky were both screaming at each other as they were taken in separate directions; Lucinda to the nurse and Becky to isolation, where she would be most likely either be suspended or given numerous detentions.