if only

lonely

Cassie leaned back in her chair, blowing bubble gum bubbles. She had been sent out of the classroom for "disruptive behaviour" and was now outside the principals office.  The lesson was about World War Two, and they were talking about how terribly the Jewish citizens were treated. Cassie, who has German heritage, sunk down into her chair and avoided eye contact, while everyone stared.

"Watch out for cassie everyone, we don't want her to put us in a gas chamber!" sneered holly, a loud obnoxious girl Jewish girl, who had nearly every boy drooling as she walked by. She hated Cassie because Justin was the only boy who wasn't in love with her, and she hated it. The whole class laughed, while the substitute teacher tried desperately to calm them down. Cassie felt her whole body heating up, and she clenched her fists trying to bottle up her anger. 

A/N: I am very sorry if this is offensive to anyone. I did not mean it that way.

"Okay everyone, calm down, let's move on, so, the-" the teacher was cut of by Cassie, who stood up so quickly her chair flipped backwards. 

"So your just going to let her get away with that? Is that what we are teaching nowadays? Racism?" cassie screeched at the teacher.

It was like someone had dropped Mentos into a full bottle of coke. Cassie could not believe that the teacher had just ignored the comment like that. Surely it at least deserved a warning? Cassie had tried so hard to hold in her anger, Hoping that Holly would have got what she deserved, but it seemed like Cassie would just have to do that herself.

Holly laughed. "It's not racism if if you're white! It's just true!"

"You bitch!"  Cassie screamed and she launched herself at Holly, but Justin grabbed her hand. "Cassie, you'll get sent home if you hurt her, and have to deal with your dad, please just let it go, for me?"

Cassie looked at Holly, who was scowling at Justin's hand holding Cassie's, and back to Justin who looked at her with pleading eyes. She sighed, and looked up at the substitute.

"I guess I'll just go to Principles office?"

"Well, um yes, I suppose you must."

Now cassie was awaiting her sentence, when suddenly the principal walked into the room, twisting his hands.

"Cassie... come in, I have some bad news about your parents."

Cassie walked in, feeling sure that this wasn't about World War Two anymore.

1 week later

Cassie stood in stony silence as her parents graves were lowered into the ground. She was angry that they were being buried together. She was sure her mother wouldn't have wanted her last resting place to be with the man who caused her so much pain. Cassie finally let out a small sob as she threw the first handful of dirt onto her mothers grave, surrounded by hundreds of people. No one knew what a horrible man her father was. On the outside, he was a successful business man with a loving family. She felt a deep hurt as at least a hundred colleagues and employees left garlands and wreaths on his grave while only family laid tributes to her brave mother. Cassie knew that if they knew the real Josef Williams all those pretty wreaths would be on her mother's coffin instead of his. Cassie thought back to what their last moments must  had been like.

Cassie's father was driving to the pub, and insisted her mother came so she could drive him home, when a small child ran on the road, and cassie's father swerved of the road to avoid him, and crashed into a tree. Cassie's mother died immediately, while her father died in the ambulance. He had died a hero. If only they knew the real him.

Later that day, Cassie settled into the unfamiliar bed. She was now staying with her grandmother on her father's side. She was the most lovely person Cassie had ever met, so she didn't know how she had created such a monster, unless he bullied her as well. Her grandmother lived close to Justin's house who had been supporting her so well, and seemed to know exactly when she wanted to be alone and when she didn't.  She was going to return to school after the holidays, which meant three more weeks without Holly, and her posse of bullies who would surely take advantage of her loss. She took a deep breath, and looked at the box in the corner of her room, which held all her mother's old possessions. Her grandmother kept Her fathers. She squeezed out a single tear and fell into a deep sleep.

Cassie only got out of bed during those three weeks for small amounts of food, gallons of tea and the toilet, and she dreaded returning to school. As she was about to walk out the door, she saw the box and was reminded that she needed to open it soon. She decided she would open it when the pain was less. When the scars were less deep. She knew they would never heal like her grandmother kept saying, but they would hurt less, eventually, so she brought her thoughts back to the day ahead, and met Justin at the front door. He held out a rose.

"Good morning Cassie, love of my life" he smirked, and a bubble of laughter escaped Cassie's lips. Cassie's grandmother smiled, watching her from the kitchen window, because it was the first time her granddaughter had smiled in a long time. Justin held out his hand and Cassie gratefully took it, and took her first step out into her new world.