The Broken Girl's Angel

Chapter 7: Unexpected Fears

Cassidy

I woke up to the buzzing of my phone. I tried to decipher my surroundings, but the darkness that engulfed me made it difficult. I tracked the vibration to the location of my phone. When I turned it on, the blinding white light burned my eyes.

I checked the time and it was three in the morning. Deciding to head to my bed for a more comfortable place to rest, I slowly climb out of the tub, my body popping in the process. When I opened the bathroom door, I noticed that Christina's door wasn't closed, which meant she wasn't home. I walked into my room and shut the door. I crawled into bed and tried to fall back to sleep but the task proved difficult to accomplish.

I unlock my phone and wander through a series of apps, hoping to find the right one to tempt me to go to sleep. Spending a couple of minutes on YouTube, I click on video after video. Failing to find one that worked in my favor, I lock my phone, plug it up, and force myself to sleep.

The next morning, I'm abruptly woken by sun rays peeking through my blinds. Finding my phone, I check the time. Noticing I'm ten minutes late, I quickly scavenge my room for a decent outfit, make myself look half presentable in the bathroom, and rush out the door. At school, I'm met with Lauren stopping me right as I enter the building. She roughly grabs me in a hug, the amount of force shocking me. I was taken back by her actions but I knew they were out of good intent, so I hugged back.

I felt more secure with Lauren by my side as I walked through the hallways, which meant I didn't have to worry about Courtney as much.

"What was that for?" I ask as I laugh. She shakes her head and eagerly bites her lip.

"Oh, nothing," she drags on.

"Except for the fact that I scored us free tickets to the carnival!" She cheered, clapping her hands.

"Woah, really? How'd you get them?" I excitedly asked. Suddenly, her face dropped with a guilty expression.

"Jack Young asked me out..." she said lowly. Jack Young was a cutie but was a bit on the nerdy side which often ruined his chances with girls. He was more seen as the best friend material in our grade, rather than as a boyfriend. I knew Lauren didn't like him that way so I immediately felt guilty for him.

"Lauren..." I said disappointedly.

"You have to return those tickets to Jack." I said sternly. Her face turned with confusion.

"Why?" She whined.

"He asked me out, so I'm giving him a chance,"

"Yeah, except you already know your answer if he asks to be your boyfriend. You can't just use him like that, he's a sweetheart." I defended.

"Pleaseee? What if I make it a double-date?" She asked with desperate eyes.

"Wait, what? I don't have anyone to go with. Just go without me."

"Noo, then it'll be awkward. I need moral support. Can't you just show up at least?" She asked, pouting and blinking rapidly in attempts to win me over. I mentally fought both options and rolled my eyes as I came to a conclusion.

"I'll...go," I said. Not even a second later, Lauren hugs me and runs off to class, leaving me winded in the hallway. Suddenly, I get a buzz from my back pocket. I check my phone to see a message from Lauren.

"By the way, it's tomorrow :)"

My eyes widen at the oh so minor detail she forgot to tell me. Christina will kill me if she finds out I'm going to a carnival during a school day. No wonder she sped off so quickly. I curse under my breath and walk to class. Despite Lauren's inconsiderate actions, it's only a big deal if I get caught, right?