Cassandra's POV
I never cared for school. Especially my Journalism class. My teacher fails me just because of my entries, my 'extremely personal' entries. I always write about my past, my deepest thoughts, my well-thought out future. I had plans. Huge plans. I've always planned on going to Yale for my degree in Literature. I want to be an author, an author who can write stories, and publish books that people can relate to. I was ready to graduate high school, ready to begin a life where I can prove my dead-beat parents wrong. I can become something more than them. I can become a someone. I can be a successfully published author. I can be something my parents dreamt for themselves. I can find love, have a family, a well-paid job. I can be happy, like I've always dreamed. I just need to do something with myself. Make me worth something to someone; anyone.
I pray to God every night that my brother could come back to me— or my parents could come back to me. My healthy parents, at least; not my hell-of-an-addict parents. I pray that I can find love after Liam. I pray to God every night so I don't have to depend solely on myself. I don't want to be fully independent. I think too much. When will this class end? Good mother of fucki—
There's the bell. I grab my backpack and go out of the classroom. I walk myself to the last period of the day, thank Lord Jesus, and prepare myself for Film Studies. I wave to a few old friends I lost touch with on my way; now they're more of acquaintances than friends. Once I make my curve around the C-Hall and into the A, I find my class and take a seat in the back, as usual.
The late bell rings a few seconds after I take my seat, and kids stumble in post-bell. Paisley, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, along with Liam. Fucking Liam.
"Paisley, Liam, I won't count you late this time. I just want you to get here quicker in the future." Mr. Easley said.
Unfortunately, Liam takes a seat right next to mine, making my heart race.
"Alright, class. Today we are going to partner people up, and have you choose a movie to make a project on. This is going to show me and yourselves how much you've learned this semester so far, and what we need to review before finals." He nodded and checked his clipboard. Mr. Easley furrowed his eyebrows and lightly chuckled to himself.
"It seems I have forgotten to make a list of partners. So, as the lazy teacher I probably come off to be, you'll pick your own. You have 30 seconds, go." He said, then sat down at his computer.
"I call Cass!" Liam said, gripping my elbow, so, so fucking tight. I whined a little, hoping someone could save me.
From the front of the class, a classmate named Niall looked at me and frowned. Either he wanted me to be his partner, or he just felt pity for me not having a say in who my partner is. Everybody scrambled around and eventually found a partner.
"Okay, everyone have a partner? No strays?" Niall raised his hand a slight bit. He didn't have a partner, and I felt bad. "Anyone want Mr. Horan?"
"We'll take him!" I said, in desperate attempt to find a way to not be alone with Liam. Liam squeezed a little on my wrist in a way of saying that I shouldn't have done that.
Niall quietly walked over to us, sitting next to me. "Thank you, Cassandra."
"Of course."
"Everybody can decide on their own movie as well, yeah? Spend the rest of the class period thinking, and then come to me when you've found something." Mr. Easley instructed, leaving a decision between the three of us.
