Lifelines

Chapter 13

After the boys and I finished up cleaning whatever needed to be done we went back home and decided to just relax for the day. Cheryl would probably be home from her conference by now and Kara texted me saying she was home. We walked in the house and I stopped in my tracks because of the person I saw sitting and drinking tea with Cheryl.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at my Aunt who looked at her cup guiltily. I heard footsteps come down the stairs and saw Carson who looked at the guest with confusion. "Your Aunt has been really worried Cassandra." Cheryl said and I let out a vicious laugh. "So that's why you're looking for me now? Because you missed me so much." Aunt Ray seemed to pick up on my sarcasm.

"You will not speak to me like that." she told me and I wanted to laugh at her. "I can speak to you however I want. You don't mean anything to me. You didn't say anything!" I yelled and felt the tears come to my eyes. Before my Aunt could speak again I cut her off, "Are you still with him?" I questioned. "Are you still with Frank?" I crossed my arms protectively and my aunt stayed silent.

"If you think for one second I'd come back knowing he's there then you're crazy. I don't want anything to do with you so please leave me alone and never come back because I don't love you and you'll never be able to replace my mom." I felt extremely embarrassed saying these things in front of everyone and ran upstairs to my room where I let the tears flow into my pillow.

I heard her leave about ten minutes later and stayed in bed staring up at the ceiling. I counted all the stars Maggie had glued on a couple days ago. About five minutes before dinner was ready, Luke came into my room and sat down on the bed next to me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me and I shrugged. I heard him sigh and turn to me. "Cass, I don't know what happened with your Aunt or her boyfriend that clearly. It's understandable that it's unsafe for you to go back there. I get that. Your Aunt...she looked so...so sorry. She looked incredibly sorry for everything she's put you through. Whether those things are forgivable I don't know." he took a breath before talking again.

"But something I've learned from my Dad going away and having Maggie come into our lives...you coming into our lives is that family means everything. It's hard to overlook mistakes sometimes. I don't think I've fully forgiven my father. I'm assuming Carson told you." I nodded and allowed him to continue.

"I guess the main thing I'm trying to say is, family deserves second chances. Maybe you're not ready now and maybe you've given your chance to her already but remember you didn't just lose a mother, your Aunt lost a sister. Just think about what I said alright?" I nodded my head and smiled a little which seemed to make Lucas happier.

"Okay dinner's ready so come down whenever." he told me and left. Luke had a point. Family did mean everything. Maybe I needed to apologize for Carson for ignoring him. Maybe he felt he was losing me as a friend with James around. We needed to talk things out though. We were family.

I quickly checked myself in the mirror before going across the hall to Carson and Luke's room. I took a deep breath and opened the door. "Carson I wanted to tal-" My voice caught in my throat by what I saw. What was Sandy Travers doing here? Carson had been kissing her and Sandy was missing a shirt, only sitting there in a bra. I felt my breathing quicken.

I felt a pang of something in my chest I couldn't describe. Carson looked like a child being caught for stealing candy while Sandy sat there with a satisfied grin. "I'm uh sorry I didn't mean to intrude or anything." I looked at the ground and pretended to take notice in the brown carpet. "Dinner's ready." I rushed out and slammed the door behind me. I ran down stairs passing everyone at the table.

"Where are you going?" Cheryl asked and I grabbed my sweatshirt off the rack. "Out." I responded shortly and ran outside. How could Carson betray me like that? He knows she is my worst enemy and hates my guts. Why am I even upset by them kissing? I don't look at Carson that way. I can't. It wouldn't make sense. He's my friend.

I kept walking until I realized I was at the town park and I went over to the slide set and sat down where the boys and I always met. I started to cry for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of. I think I just needed to let some emotion out. With seeing my Aunt, Carson acting like I'm not even his friend, and the stress of knowing Kara's secret, I think I'm going to explode.

I heard leaves crunch a stood up quickly ready to bolt. I saw a little boy with brown hair walking over to me. He stood in front of me and smiled crookedly. "I saw you crying. Are you okay?" he asked me and I knelt down so I'd be at this level. "I'm fine, thank you. Where are your parents?" I asked him.

"They were fighting again so I left. I don't like it when mommy and daddy yell." he told me and I realized he didn't have a coat. I handed him my sweatshirt which was like a dress on him and grabbed his hand. "Let's bring you home. I'm sure your mommy and daddy are worried sick." I told the boy and we started walking out of the park.

"What's your name?" he asked me. "Cassandra. What's yours?" "Byron. I'm eight years old." After he said his name I examined him and he looked familiar to me but my thoughts were something that could be impossible. "I'm sixteen. I'll be seventeen in a couple days." I told him and he smiled. "I have to ask mommy to buy you a present!" I laughed at his enthusiasm. "You don't have to do that." I told him.

"Are we almost back to your house?" I asked Byron five minutes later as we entered a development. "Yeah, we're only a couple houses away." he told me and when he saw his house, he ran up to it and rang the doorbell. I stood behind him as the door opened, revealing a woman with red hair and the all American mom look.

"Byron! You had your father and I worried sick!" she gave him a big hug and told him to get inside. She thanked me graciously for bringing him home. "It's no problem. I was at the park and saw him. He's a lovely boy." I told her and she thanked me again. She must have noticed I didn't have a car. "Do you need a ride home dear?" I politely declined but she insisted. "I'll have my husband drive you home." she called out for her husband who had the same name as his son.

He arrived to the door and I stared at him for a couple moments. He looked extremely familiar. Almost like...no that's impossible. "This girl brought home Byron and she needs a ride home. Can you do that?" The man seemed lost in a daze then answered his wife. "Of course. Yeah. What's your name?" he asked me suddenly. "Uh, Cassandra." I answered warily.

"Cassandra Barnes?" he asked me and I nodded my head. He looked over to his wife who seemed frozen in place. "How did you know my last name?" I questioned. "I was applying for a position at your high school and looked through the list of students. I guess your name was one that stuck out to me." he told me and led me over to his car.

When we finally arrived back to the house I felt relieved from the silence that suffocated us. "Thanks for the ride Mr...?" "It's just Byron." he told me and I thanked him again before getting out of the car and walking in through the front door.