Fixing Cassie [Luke Hemmings]

Chapter Fourteen - The Slap

Beautiful People :) I FINALLY HIT 100 VOTES.

Dedicating this chapter to my lovely Foreign Friend - her constant support much like all of yours puts a smile on my face and motivates me to write x

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Luke

I don't know what my head had been doing to me the entire night but I was all over the place. I just felt like I needed to get Cassie's attention, somehow. It was weird because I've never needed to do that before.

When I took her hand in mine, all the thoughts I'd had before vanished. I wasn't irritated about Maya's brother; I wasn't confused about what I wanted from her. I just was.

Cassie was staring at me, I could see it out the corner of my eye and I felt this rush of heat in my body. I held it together though, and started tracing patterns on the back of her hand with my thumb.

Her ragged breathing was driving me crazy.

"I'm sorry about earlier," I started, not sure what to apologize for specifically: How I was a douche over the fact that I could never be a normal guy and hold her hand during a concert, how I was a douche about the fact that she had been drinking to the point of throwing up even though she denies she had that much, or how I was a douche over feeling used just because I was someone that people felt they could never have long time connections with. So I just generalized, "I'm sorry for being a douche."

She squeezed my hand but then began to let go and I panicked momentarily before realizing something outside had caught her attention.

"What's going on?" Cassie muttered under her breath.

I dragged my gaze away from her just in time to see Maya slap Michael across the face. Well, fuck.

I hadn't even seen Michael or Calum get out the car and walk over to Ashton, but within a second every one of us left in the van had exited the vehicle.

"HOW DARE YOU," Maya was screaming, tears streaming down her face.

"Maya, calm down please," Ashton said, pulling Michael away.

Michael looked like a scolded puppy, but I could tell her words were cutting deeper than he let on.

"No, don't tell me to calm down. You're a hypocrite, Michael." She was following Ashton and Michael, trying to say this to his face.

"Maya, stop. This is not the time or place." Cassie was oddly calm, but I could hear the desperation in her voice.

I placed my hand on her lower back, protectively, not wanting her to get involved. She was injured enough as it is.

"Just let her say what she needs to say, Ash." We all turned to look at Calum, who had just lit a cigarette, leaning against the van.

Ashton looked slightly conflicted but eventually stepped out of Maya's path. Michael stood his ground, squaring his shoulders. His eyes looked sad.

Maya panicked a little from the sudden control she had over the situation. It didn't pair well with her wild emotions.

Michael took advantage of the pause, "Look, I'm sorry -"

"Oh, hell NO. You do not get to apologise to me sweet heart. You made me feel utterly worthless. No person on this earth had ever said to me what you have, and then you have the nerve to try to defend me when some jerk insults me with something that barely skimmed the surface. Compared to what you think of me, what Lia's boyfriend said about me could have been a compliment."