Estrellas: Book 2

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: COMPLICATION

(told in perspective of Cassandra)

Brutus and I sat next to each other in the car, awkwardly silent, staring off into the distance. Suddenly, Brutus looks over to me, as if he had been waiting to ask me a question for a while now.

"Cass, are we still a thing?" I looked at him with a confused look.

"What do you mean?" I asked, concerned.

"It's just, last night and this morning got me thinking, when was the last time I took you on a date? When was the last time we shared a kiss?" I looked directly into his eyes, they were filled with worry and doubt. Then I realized something. He's kind of right, I mean, when was the last time we did any of those things?

"That's an interesting conversation topic..." I laughed nervously, "...I mean, I still want to be a thing? If that's ok of course. W-what about you?" I looked at him nervously.

He looked into my eyes and smiled, "Of course I do Cass, I was just checking." He turned and looked out the window.

"What made you think that we weren't?" I asked him, he turned around and gave a faint smile.

"Eh, not much, just the entire dating fiasco earlier." We both laughed and Draco and Pandal both turned around.

"Hey!!!!" They both shouted, annoyed.
We both laughed and looked at each other again.

Danny turned around, "Not to pry on other people's conversations but I think you two make a really good couple." We both smiled and Brutus put his arm around me, and I smirked at him.

"And I think you and Draco would make a good couple as well." I smiled. Pandal just gave me a look. "What?! I've gotta stick up for my brother!" I joked, Pandal rolled his eyes. Draco turned around and put up him fist, smirking, and I gave him a fist bump.

"I TOLD YOU ALL I AM NOT INTO DATING RIGHT NOW!" Danny suddenly yelled from the passenger seat.

I laughed, "Yeah we know Danny, we know."

"I just had an idea." Brutus looked down at me.

"What?" I asked, wondering what it was.

"How about you and I go on a date in the next town we get to? Get some food, have the picnic we never had, relax a bit, then after that, we can get back to the mission." He suggested.

"I like the sound of that." I looked up at him and he smiled. He looked deep into my eyes and slowly inched towards my face, he kissed me and I smiled.

"Ew, remind me to close my eyes the next time you two do that." Draco joked and I rolled my eyes.

"Eyes on the road genius."

He swerved the car and yelled, "What? I can't hear you over the sound of me driving." He smirked and I rolled my eyes again.

"Everyone, welcome to my childhood." I said sarcastically. This time, Draco rolled his eyes.

Brutus' face suddenly grew curious and he looked to Matthew, "So, Matthew, you've been pretty silent lately, you ok?" as I looked over to Matthew I noticed he was zoning out, he looked exhausted and filled with worry and fear, he snapped back to reality and noticed Brutus had asked him something.

"Huh, wha? Oh yeah, I'm fine." He looked down and rubbed his forehead.

"Really? Cause I don't think that zoning out and being extremely exhausted counts as fine." Brutus pounded him.

"Drop it, I'm fine, really." He snapped, then he gave the most fake smile I've ever seen.

"Come on man, cut Brutus a bit of slack, he was just checking to see if you were alright." Pandal tried to convince Matthew.

"I SAID JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!" Matthew screamed, his eyes filled with tears, and his face filled with rage. Then he looked towards Draco. "Pull over."

Draco looked into the mirror, "Wha-what?"

"I SAID PULL OVER." Matthew snapped.

"Ok ok." The car swerved and Draco parked it. Once the car had stopped, Matthew ripped open the door, almost taking it off it's hinges, then he slammed the door, causing the entire car to shake. He stomped outside and kicked the dirt.

"Arghhhhhhhhhh!" He screamed in frustration, then he sat on the ground, hugging his knees, then he started crying his eyes out.

"I'll talk to him." Brutus started to get up.

"Hang on, I think it would be best if I talked to him." I put my hand on Brutus' shoulder, then he nodded and gave me an understanding look. I unbuckled and opened the car door. I closed it then I walked over to Matthew.

He looked up, "What do you want." He mumbled.

"I want to know what's going on." I sat down next to him putting my hand on his shoulders.

"It's nothing, it really is just nothing." He growled and pulled away.

"Come on, nobody acts like that when it's just nothing, there's something bugging you, isn't there." I put my hand on his shoulder again and he nodded. "Well, the best way to avoid having to go through this again is to just let things off of your chest, so what's really bugging you?" I gave him an understanding look and he sighed.

"Andrometa." He buried his head in his knees. "It's my fault she was shot, it's my fault I brought her on that stupid mission, it's all my fault!" His voice starting to get more emotional.

"I-I.."

"And that's not all.." he lifted up his head, his eyes were now red, "...It's impossible to get her out of my head, every waking moment I see her being shot and it keeps replaying in my mind over and over. I can't even get a good night's sleep anymore because she is in every single dream, and she always dies in the dream, and I can't ever save her, not ever." He put his hands through his hair and he sighed.

"But she isn't dead Matthew." I looked at him with a faint smile, and he looked up, his tears started to stop. "You saved her, goodness, she wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for you. The issue with those dreams Matthew, is that they never happened, and the very thing you couldn't do in them, you did do." His sadness faded away and he looked at me with realization. Then he gave me a thankful smile and hugged me super tight.

"I can see why Zana wanted you to come on the mission with us." He whispered and he sprinted back to the car.
TO BE CONTINUED