The Darkness Within

Chapter 18

PROM

Kade's POV:

I wish she knew how beautiful she is. I can't look at anyone else when she's around me. Her eyes are so captivating and full of longing. Longing for what? Love? Happiness? I wish I could give her what she so badly craves. If she would only let me.

I hold her in my arms even as the song is ending, not quite ready to let her go yet. She senses my unwillingness to leave  the dance floor, so she rests her head in the crook of my neck. 

I keep holding her hand. Acting oblivious to the scar on her forearm from the time I forced her to go to the ER.  She never complained once after she got stitches. 

Cassie never complains. It almost frustrates me how she keeps everything to herself. I wish she would let me dry her tears. Just once. 

"Let's get food, I'm famished." She groans while placing her hand on her stomach. 

"Okay." I let her go.

I follow behind her to the table booth of pasta. I watch Cassie scoop a heaping of the fettucine and let her put some in the plate I'm holding. We grab some bread rolls and head to the table where Lia is sitting with Grant. More like where Lia is slumping disappointedly in her chair and Grant's texting on his phone next to her. 

There's so much awkwardness between them, like this is a fucking middle school dance and neither of them have ever held hands before. 

I sigh and roll my eyes, refusing to move from where I'm standing which is 20 feet away from them. 

"Come on." Cassie bumps me with her shoulder. She already has her bread roll in her mouth. 

"I'm not watching that play out." I gesture to the table.

"Are you always such a wuss?" She asks before filling her mouth with bread again.

I stare at her without blinking. 

She darts her eyes back to the table and at Lia. Her expression drops a bit looking at her lonely friend. I never really liked the girl but whatever. 

"Go listen to your theatre kid music." I retort. I will never stop bringing this up after learning Cassie was in theatre for two years straight. 

She flips me off and starts walking toward that girl Layla or Lea. It started with an L I think. 

Right?

I can hear her laugh in front of me. Just with that small indication of her happiness I can let out a breath. I can't even hear myself think with that loud thumping sound in the hall, or maybe it's my heart. 

Whatever.

I take a seat next to Grant because Cassie's busy spoon feeding Lia.

I take a bite of my pasta and examine his expression. 

He finally looks up. 

"What?"

Lia and Cassie are too wrapped up in their conversation to hear us. 

"I'm just confused to how you're going to ignore my explicit instructions." I state nonchalantly. 

He grits his teeth. "She's not my fucking responsibility. I'm not even assigned to this chick. I'm bored of her." 

I smile, daring him to continue talking. He leans forward.

"I think you're just playing a role, hoping you have some chance at love with this girl. You don't even need me around. It just helps you feel as if you're doing this for her and not for you." He whispers harshly in my ear.