Met Online

Chapter 26

The sun is shinning from a cloudless sky, as I make my way across the filled parking lot. It's quite ironic really, how bright and warm the sun feels against my skin in contrast to how heavy my heart feels beating in my chest. How on earth am I supposed to come back here on Monday? When I come home I'll beg my mom to pull me out of school - I don't care if I don't graduate next month. I'll give up everything for the chance of never seeing those people again, knowing what they will all be thinking about me; what a weakling - let's see if we can make her break down again!

"Cassidy." I can hear him call after me. "Wait!" His words have the opposite effect on me: instead of slowing down and waiting for him, I speed up and hope that he'll eventually give up on catching up to me.

"Leave me alone," I beg him, but it's too late. He's already caught up with me.

"Stop," he orders, as his hand closes around my upper arm and he forcefully pulls me to a stop. With a single tug on my arm he spins me around so I'm standing toe to toe with him.

"What do you want? Have you come to gloat? Or scream at me?" I ask, as I lift my eyes from the concrete beneath our feet till my tear-stained eyes are locked on his golden brown ones.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because that's what your kind does." I spit the words at him. "You gloat or you scream or you push or you spit. That's the way it's always been and I'm tired of it, Justin. So if that's why you're here, please just save it for another time." I want to look away, but I can't. I want him to see the pain they, Samantha and him and all of the rest of them, have cost me. I want him to look me in the eyes when he takes away the last piece of dignity that I have left in my exhausted body.

"What?" he asks breathlessly, clearly taken back by my words. "No. Cassidy, please just listen to me."

"What? So you can tell me how much of a failure I am? Go ahead, tell me." I'm ready, I tell myself, as I try to prepare my already broken heart for what is to come. Whatever he has to throw at me, I'm ready for it.

"I'm not going to do that."

"Why not? You must be furious after finding out the real identity of your precious princess. Go on Justin, tell me how much you hate me for being me."

"You really think I didn't know who you were?" I can't ignore the offended tone in his voice when he speaks, but I push it away and try not to focus on it. I should be the offended one here, not him. "Cassidy, I knew who you were from the moment I saw you the first time, standing in the moonlight surrounded by nothing but darkness." What? No. He's lying. "I knew who you were and I didn't care then and I sure as hell don't care now."

"You knew?" I'm out of breath and at a loss for words. He couldn't possibly have known. If he knew who I was, he wouldn't have kept coming around. Would he? "If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready," he shrugs, his eyes never leaving mine. "I didn't want to push you into anything."

"If you knew who I were then why were you still talking to me?"

"Do I need a reason?" he smiles and my insides do cartwheels against my skin. I love that smile - God I love that smile. "Cassidy, you're an amazing person and despite what everyone else thinks or says I like you for who you are."

"But I'm fat."

"Hey, don't you ever say that," he exclaims. I can't ignore how offended he sounds, as he takes a step closer to me and grabs my hands for emphasize. "Do you really think that some stupid number on a scale means anything to me?" he asks, and his beautiful eyes fill to the brim with sorrow. "I think you're perfect just the way you are."