Immaculate Misconception

Ashley

Chris' POV

the next day, Cassie didn't move from her spot, curled up on the couch in the front lounge.

I was concerned about her, and so was everyone else. She refused to eat, and whenever we tried to go against her she'd start arguing, so we just let her heal from the experience her own way. She did eat, every so often throughout the day.

She also never left the bus, and when she did, she insisted one of us are with her.

Other than that, she didn't talk, hardly ate, and didn't leave the couch.

"Cassie. It's been a whole two days since you ate an actual meal. I'm headed out to Jack-In-The-Box with a couple friends." I said and knelt down to her level on the couch.

"Alright. Justa sec." she said and got up and headed off to her bunk.
"I'm worried about her. She hasn't really been coping well." I turned to Rick and he nodded and agreed with me.

In a minute, she returned in a big hoodie, distressed skinny jeans, converse and her normal thin line of eyeliner. Her hair had grown, so her roots were showing behind her pastel pink hair.

"Ready." She said and smiled weakly and I smiled and we left the bus, her clinging to my arm, almost like a kitten.

"Hey, Chris! You must be Cassie. Chris never shuts up about you." Ashley said happily and smiled as Nikki trailed behind her.

"Y-yeah. It's nice to meet you." Cassie said, with a nice smile, trying to be strong and appear as stable as possible.

We all had a nice conversation about whatever came up to our minds, as we headed down the sidewalk, Cassie starting to be comfortable talking to Ashley.

Cassie's POV

Ashley was really nice and we got along super well,and within the next half hour to an hour I felt a bit more comfortable talking to a girl instead of one of the guys for the first time in a little while. I could see us being good friends in the future, and I was so happy to finally find a friend who was a girl, who i could comfortably talk to. 

"So, on the next day off, would you wanna hang out? you know, with a girl instead of one of those guys for once." Ashley suggested and I smiled happily and nodded. 

"I would love to. being around a bunch of guys becomes overwhelming." I said and she took a sip of her soda and nodded in agreement. 

"I totally get it. Being the only girl gets pretty lonely once and a while." She said and I nodded and took a bite of the burger Chris had gotten for me from Jack-In-The-Box. "Come on, let's go enjoy warped tour." She said as we all got up, and grabbed my hand, making me flinch a bit, and she turned her head, concerned and smiled kindly and I returned the smile. 

"Let's enjoy Warped." I said with a smile and took her hand again and we skipped off, talking, smiling and laughing. She had helped me forget what had happened the night before, and yet the memories were still haunting my mind, I wasn't going to let it ruin my day, or someone else's day. 

Throughout the day, Ash let me stand side-stage for her band's show, I stood side-stage for Motionless' set with her, and we went to hang out and see other bands together, and just basically bonding and learning about each other. 

Later that night... 

I had been sitting in the dark bus lounge for hours now, as I thought about what Ryan had said the night I had the Night Terror. 

" Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here." 

His voice echoed in my head and I began to wonder if I should tell him or Ricky what had happened before Ricky came back. What happened after he left. While he was gone, and how I had tried to end my life, also why I had tried to. I had a feeling like I wanted to tell someone, but I didn't know if I should burden someone with it, or worry them with my safety, as there are still people out there, that could come back and hurt me again, and I was worried that I would scare someone else and I didn't want anyone to go out of their way to make sure I was safe. 

"Cassie, are you still awake?" Devin asked as he walked into the mini kitchen to grab a bottle of water, and a little snack. 

"Can't sleep." I said as the TV was illuminating Devin and myself. "Just watching some TV." I added and he nodded and came over to join me on the couch, watching an episode of Big Bang Theory. 

"You doing okay?" He asked and I nodded and messed with my nails, which needed to be done again, as they were long, but they were really boring. 

"I'm just kind of in.. shock. i guess." I said and he kindly smiled and put a hand carefully on my knee, making sure I knew what he was doing. 

"You'll be fine. we're not gonna let anyone hurt you anymore." He said and I smiled and felt tears swell up in my eyes. "Aww, come here." He said and embraced me in a hug and I cried a little bit, just wishing I had the courage to talk about everything. 

After talking to Devin for near an hour, and telling him things such as I never really had anyone who was willing to take care of me, and that I felt really vulnerable, and he talked to me and promised I would be okay with them around.

After Devin went back to his bunk to hit the hay and call it a night, I had decided that if I was going to tell anyone what happened, I wanted to tell my brother first of all, because he's my older brother, and he's already worried as fuck with me just being a victim of sexual assault, he should probably know it wasn't the first time, and It was definitely not the first time I was assaulted, or being brought into something against my will. 

I thought to myself that, if anyone deserved to know what I had been through, it was my brother.