Cross My Heart and Hope You Cry | The Clique Fanfiction

24

1309 Canting Drive, Meadow Ridge

The Fisher Home

Saturday, September 20th

11:34 AM

Cassia was gasping for breath by the time she made it to the driveway of Cam's house, her feet feeling raw after running without socks in shoes two sizes too big for her. She'd just tugged on the trainers left by the door before running out without even recognizing they weren't hers until she was halfway down the street, having been in far too much of a rush to call her driver. Although she didn't regret it, for it usually took some twenty minutes for Christian to pull up with the car with no prior notice, she certainly wished she'd taken a bit more care in actually looking at the shoes by the door before just pulling on a random pair; her mother's sneakers were not comfortable. She took another deep breath, wincing slightly at the stitch in her side, before clambering up the patio steps with all the gracefulness of a baby giraffe. She took a few moments as she stood on the welcome mat to center herself and catch her breath, exhaling loudly through her nose as the ache in her side finally started to fade.

She felt awful and yet not at the same time. On one hand, with all the evidence she'd been given —with everything she'd seen— nobody would've blamed her for thinking that Cam had cheated on her, but on the other hand, he hadn't. He'd been set up through no fault of his own, and even though she'd had every right not to, she hadn't believed him when he'd tried desperately to tell her the truth. It made something uncomfortable swirl in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know whether to feel guilty or not. Whether to feel justified or not. Whether to feel sorry or not. She'd never felt so sure yet indecisive at the same time.

She straightened her shoulders as her breaths finally slowed, pushing her curly hair from her face and ignoring the urge to chew nervously at her bottom lip. She could only hope that Cam wouldn't fault her for not believing him when he'd called. She didn't know what she would do if he ended up sending her away.

She grabbed the brass knocker on the door, taking a deep breath before bringing it down smartly against the wood three times, releasing it, and taking a step back. Her hands tightened into fists behind her back as she waited for the door to open, her heartbeat speeding up as she heard footsteps making their way towards her from the other side. Words spun through her head quickly as she tried to figure out what to say, but she couldn't grasp any of them. Anxiety spiked in her chest; what if he opened the door and all she could do was stand there, speechless and dumb? The brass doorknob clicked as it was unlocked from the other side before it was pulled open, her tense shoulders slumping slightly as she was met with Cam's mother.

The woman's eyes widened for a moment before she smiled down at her and she opened the door wider, "Oh, Cassia!"

Cassia's smile was uncharacteristically nervous, but she did feel some relief at facing the house's matriarch before her ex—no, not ex yet—boyfriend. It gave a bit more time for her mind to center; for her to figure out what to say when she finally faced Cam. "Hi, Mrs. Fisher."

She tutted. "How many times have I told you to call me Layla?"

"Only a dozen," Cassia shrugged, a half-smile pulling at her lips.

Mrs. Fisher laughed lightly. "I assume you're here for Cam, yes?"

She perked up at just his name as if it were a Pavlovian response. "Yes, is he home?" She hadn't even thought of the possibility that he wouldn't be here, and frowned slightly at the thought of going all over town trying to find him. She would do it if need be, but certainly didn't want to, especially in such uncomfortable shoes.