"even when i couldn't have you, i've always yearned for you."
𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 priorities straight,
her future planned out.
until it all changed.
until she changed it.
all for art.
✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩
stqargirl. 2024
started: june 28th
finished:
᳂
(...
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* ˚ ✦
2007.
CASSIE HAD ABRUPTLY woke this morning, her face scrunched up against her pillow, groaning quietly as her alarm sounded. "fuck my life" she grumbled quietly, turning it off from beside her as she stared at her ceiling. it was now almost two years she had been at stanford, she was doing well, she hoped she was atleast. cassie was dating patrick for a while now also, but with them going to different colleges they hadn't been seeing eachother much, or much contact, except from the odd 10 minute phone call from patrick every other night. but on the other side, art took this as a blessing to spend more time with cassie. they'd be hanging out, training together, he loved it.
a few nights ago cassie had received her monthly degrading phone call from her dad,
and she didn't stop thinking about it.
"look cassie if you won't take this fucking thing seriously i'll come down there and fucking take you home." her father screamed down the phone, "dad how am i not taking this seriously?" cassie quaked.
"well daniel here tells me you don't want to do it anymore? that you're getting some anxiety bullshit now?" mr. whittman accused, "it's not bullshit dad." cassie spoke, loud enough for her father to hear but not loud enough for him to understand.
"speak to me when you win a game cassandra. i'm not having you embarrass me." her father spoke sternly, hanging up the phone.
cassie made her way to the bathroom, clasping her hands on the sink as she stared at herself in the mirror: puffy eyes, frizzed hair, embarrassment, embarrassment, embarrassment.
she couldn't help but constantly replay her fathers daunting words. she hated how he always knew how to get under her skin. she hated how daniel had told their father about her feelings, but she couldn't stay mad. she knew he was only trying to help her.
after her long mental evaluation on her whole existence, cassie had gotten ready, it was now 9am and she was ready for training, she didn't want to go but she still had that nagging feeling she had to prove her father right. to show that she could actually do it.
cassie was agressively playing with another girl, they weren't friends but cassie was nice enough to her, she was like that wish everyone.
cassie whacked the ball so hard her opponent completely missed it, "nice whittman!" the girl exclaimed, heading back to get the ball.
as her red haired opponent turned her back to cassie, a certain blonde walked into the court, dumping his duffel bag beside him and placing his hands in his pockets.
cassie smiled at art, twisting her racket in her hands before shooting him a shy wave, which he shot right back at her.
｡･:*˚:✧｡
"alright, so when are you going pro?" art asked, the two sat in the cafè, "um, well, if we win the championship, then hopefully i'll leave." she answered, eating a strawberry, "so may?" art spoke, chewing his sandwich "i said if we win."
"right." art nodded, "so may." he smiled at the girl, she huffed out a small laugh.
"did patrick tell you he's coming to the pepperdine match?" cassie queried, arts face seemed to drop at patrick's name, his eyes diverting to the lunch tray in front of him.
"mhm, yeah, he told me." art spoke somewhat lazily, he spoke, leaning back in his chair, "we should get dinner or something, we all like itallian?" the girl smiled.
"sure. if you want." art muttered, cutting up his salad on his plate that his eyes were now glued to.
cassie stared at him, "what? what's wrong?" she asked, art perked his head up quickly, "nothing?" he spoke, his attempt at being all calm wasn't working as he was suddenly all jumpy.
"art." cassie set her fork down and crossed her arms on the table, angling her head down and narrowing her eyes at the boy. "this whole act you're doing? shit at it-" "i'm not doing anything." art sarcastically laughed, while also cutting her off.
"it's stupid-" "i'm not doing a thing." the pair spoke over eachother,
"i'm just surprised that you guys are still seeing each other, that's all" art admitted, his voice calm as cassie stared at him, her brows furrowing at she sat up straight.
"okay." she spoke in a monotone voice to be quickly answered by art, "i'm sorry."
cassie leaned back in her seat, brows furrowed. "why did you ask me to come to lunch wigh you?" she asked, her facial expression was muddled, she was angry, or confused? art couldn't read her for the first time.
art paused, "i told you i had extra meal credits and they were going to expire." art clarified.
"don't fucking lie to me art. is he seeing other girls on tour?" this was cassie first thought, art was way more squirmy than usual today, he wouldn't have brought up patrick and her like that if he had heard something bad. and cassie knew if he did he wouldn't keep if for her.
"no i mean-" "is that what this fucking is?"
art nervously laughed as he spoke, "i don't know- that's not what i'm trying to-" "then what are you trying to say art?" cassie bickered.
cassie rolled her eyes, pushing her tray forward, "fine." she got up, swirling her tongue in her cheek due to annoyance.
"he's not inlove with you." art blurted out. he waited for cassie to turn around which she slowly did so, she walked up to him, her expression blank.
"did i say i was inlove with him art?" the girl hissed, "you didn't," "so would i give a fuck if he loved me or not?" she argued, "i guess not cass." art huffed out.
"cool." "cool." the two bitterly spoke to eachother, and with that, cassie walked away, again. arts eyes still glued to her.
"don't you think you deserve it?" art asked, "jesus fucking christ." cassie groaned,
"i mean, who wouldn't be inlove with you?" art blurted, cassie stood there, staring at him as she pinched the bridge of her nose and walked away from him, finally this time.
"you might be the worst friend in the word, art." cassie spat, "maybe" art snapped.
"fucking definitely." cassie yelled, "thank you. for lunch art." she spat as she exited the lunch hall.
in the hall left a baffled art, that was all bullshit. he knew it. she knew it.
art knew cassie was one of the most loving people, she had so much to give and there's no way she didn't want it back. let alone not care about it, and from patrick? art had originally planned that cassie would get all upset over patrick not loving her and convince her to leave him.
but that would make him a bad friend, wouldn't it?
