For A Brief Moment

Chapter 6: All types of purple and green

He looked at the table trying to think. What he just saw and heard in her voice saddened him.

"Well?" Greg questioned.

"She probably just didn't want to be seen with us, that's probably why she didn't come to sit over here. Stop reading into this so much." Max explained. He didn't believe his own words, but he wanted to.

"No." Dylan said weakly. They all leaned in whilst Elijah looked at him.

"Well, is she okay?" Elijah said, a little annoyed by the situation. Dylan looked up with saddened eyes at the group.

"I, I don't think she is." He spoke.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Greg questioned once again, as concern laced his voice.

"I don't think it's my place to say, but she just didn't seem to be happy, she seemed, almost scared." Elijah looked up and around to see what could possibly be scaring her. His eyes met with another pair from across the hall. They stared at one another for a moment before Elijah shot a smug smirk his way and turned to the boys. "It's probably that blockhead of a basketball player."

"That might explain the bruise," Dylan explained, almost regretting what he said not even a moment later.

"Bruise?" Elijah questioned. "You think he gave her a bruise," Elijah said anger filling his eyes, almost turning into a deep black. "What kind of sick monster hits their girl."

"Wow, hold up. Brody and Cassie are dating." Max expressed, shocked by this news.

"Seems like it," Dylan said.

"No, no." Greg defended. They turned to him allowing him to continue. "Cassie doesn't like him. Not in that way, or any way. Cassie and Brody are not dating."

"And how do you know?" Elijah questioned.

"She told me yesterday. I asked her if she was, and she couldn't have corrected me as quickly as she did. That and she didn't have a bruise on her wrist when I dropped her home last night. I don't think Brody did this." Greg explained, still thinking if there was any more information. As he thought, his eyes widened.

"What is it, Greg?" Dylan said, examining his face. Greg stayed silent before looking up and seeing eyes on him.

"When we were in the car last night, she had a bruise on her leg. It was quite big, I couldn't see all of it cause her skirt was covering it, but it didn't seem like a bruise you would get if you just fell over. Ya 'know what I mean?" He said in an extremely concerned manner. Everyone was silent, the expressions they all had dropped to sadness. To think that a sweet girl like Cassie had been hurt so badly by someone or something, didn't sit right with them.

"She's a cheerleader, right?" Max broke the silence with a question he then went on to answer. "Maybe she was doing a trick and fell and hurt herself. Someone tried to grab her and that's how she got the bruises. She had a routine yesterday and bruises take a while to develop, maybe that's why she didn't have a bruise in the car." This was a reasonable explanation that the boys seemed to think was plausible. They couldn't know for sure though as none of them saw the assembly Tuesday morning, skipping it like they do with most. 

Elijah turned in his seat as someone walked past. "Hey." He said, the band member turned around and walked toward him. 

"Yes." She answered in a confused manner.

"You know Cassie, the cheerleader."

"Of course." The girl's eyes sparkled hearing her name.

"Did she hurt herself in the routine yesterday or any time last week?"

"No. She's never really had any accidents in cheerleading." Elijah and the boys' faces dropped at this.

"Thanks," he said lightly as she walked away. "So she didn't do it during cheerleading and she's not dating Brody."

"It must have happened after I dropped her home," Greg admitted. His eyes turned to Sebastian who was talking amongst the group across from them. Elijah's eyes grew darker as he too looked at him. Dylan saw their reactions and became defensive.

"Hey no, Sebastian wouldn't do that, he loves that girl with his whole heart. He wouldn't even raise his voice at her."

"Well, someone did it," Elijah yelled as he had finally let his emotions out. He caught the attention of multiple people in the hall, including Sebastian and Brody once again. He didn't care about their reactions; he was trying to piece the information together. It was puzzling him more than most. Just as he was about to speak the bell rang. He stood up and looked at the boys. "I have a meeting but if any of you see her, make sure she's okay, and as far away from that physio as possible," he pointed at Brody before rushing out of the hall, pushing past people in an angry manner. Greg and Dylan shared a look of sympathy. 

Cassie's a good kid, she wouldn't hurt a fly, so why would someone hurt her?