The High School Notebook

Chapter 8

The final bell of the school day rang and Cass gathered all her books and walked to her locker, ready to get home soon.

Just as she opened her locker, a thin piece of note dropped and landed on her sneakers, down-sided. She picked it up and couldn't believe what she just saw....

"Don't think that I'll be letting you go, Cassandra Morgs. Just because my babe stood up for you, it doesn't mean anything. He's just being the sweet guy that he is. To everyone."

"What on earth? What did I ever do? Why does these things keep happening to me?? Hold on.........," Cass mumbled, awarded that some people could have heard her, thinking that's she's a weirdo.

It could be the same person... anonyjuocicles.........

Immediately, Cass got out her phone and started to text Jackson, but she stopped.

"That person who wrote that note called Jackson her babe..... Jackson dated?" Cass couldn't help but felt like her heart just got punched.

And then, a familiar voice crossed her mind, "Get over it dude, it's not going to work out!".

Zoe.

She knew something and wanted to tell me, but I just cut her off. Oh my gosh.

"I need to look for Zoe NOW!" Cass thought to herself.

Urgently, she looked through the hallway, accidentally bumping into several people, "SORRY!!" , she yelled along.

But no luck. Zoe couldn't be found anywhere.

Feeling down, Cass decided to just walk home, since her mother couldn't pick her up again.

As she passed by the park in her neighborhood, just a street away from her house, she saw a familiar girl.

ZOE.

"ZOE, OH MY LORD, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE!!!" Cass exclaimed while rushing to her. But she bumped into someone. Not just someone, it's Jeremy.

"Oh my, so sorry Jeremy!!! But wait what is happening, you guys know each other?" Cass asked.

"CASSANDRA MORGS! Remember I told you that I'm meeting gonna meet one of my cousins for the first time? It's her!! Zoe!," Jeremy replied.

"Woah woah woah," Cass said, feeling shook, "I can't believe it? HAHA"

"What are you doing here anyways?" Zoe cut in, her voice different from before.

"Woah, what's going on, Zoe? Why that tone?" Jeremy asked, feeling shocked.

"Listen Zoe, I'm so sorry for everything that happened yesterday... All those words that I said, I really want to take it all back, will you forgive me please? And there's something that I need you to tell me when you're free, like I really need to know it urgently" Cass just poured out the words she had been holding on for.

Zoe looked surprised. Scratched her head and finally said, "Well, it's okay, friends again?"

Cass smiled and said," Friends!"

"Ahem err okay? That was weird ," Jeremy said and Cass just remember that he's been standing awkwardly throughout the whole thing.

Zoe and Cass shared a laugh.

As they calmed down, Zoe said, "Hey, what do you want to know by the way?", just as a lady came towards our direction, "Zoe, we gotta go!!!".

"Oh that's my mom! Sorry Cass, meet you in school tomorrow? " Zoe said.

"Sure no probs!" Cass replied while waving to her mom.

"See you cousie!" Zoe said to Jeremy and Jeremy winked back.

Cass tried not to choked and that made her let out a cough. A weird cough.

As the Zoe's mom's car drove off the side of the park, Cass teased him, "Wow since when do you wink at girls?"

"Shush it, it's not like I'm gonna and can date her! She's my cousin," Jeremy replied while rolling his eyes.

And they both laughed.

As the sun was setting off already, Jeremy asked," Erm do you wanna hang out in my house for a while? I mean we didn't catch up with each other for a long time".

Cass looked at the time on my phone and it's just 6pm. Her mom wouldn't be home yet till another hour so she just said yes.

As they made it in Jeremy's house, a thought hit Cass. It's been so long since she had come over to Jeremy's house. Years even. The last time they had played together in his room was when they were like 12.

"Let's head up to my room!" he said and lead the way.

Cass followed him through the door and the familiar feeling got to her. She didn't realised she missed hanging out in his room. But she did, now.

Everything seems somehow different. Just that, all the plush toys were replaced by figurines for the TV series. The posters too had changed. Not to forget the cartoon themed bedsheets. Now, it's just plain black.

As she explored Jeremy's now unfamiliar room, she spotted a brown teddy bear lying on his pillow. It's Brownie.

A quick memory got in Cass's head. There was once when there was a fun fair being hosted at middle school. All kids have 3 tokens each to spent on games and you only have those 3 chances. Cass remembered that Jeremy had spent all his token, winning nothing and he started being sober for the entire week, because back then, teddy bears was something Jeremy was really obsessed with. So being a good friend Cass is, she spent her last token for him and managed to win one teddy bear.

That year,on Jeremy's 9th birthday, Cass gave him that bear and he was so happy that he couldn't stop hugging her, out of appreciation.

That day,he named the bear "Brownie". And till this very day, it's still there. With him. A smile crossed over Cass's face.

"You still sleep with Brownie?"

His room was dark, considering having his curtains closed, but Cass thought that she saw a flicker of blush across his face. It was gone so fast that she didn't even know if what she saw was real. "Jeremy blushing? That's unusual.." she thought to herself.

"Well..erm... yeah.. er... I mean it's one of my childhood memory and like it's from you? I mean you're my best friend!" he stammered and choked on the word best friend.

Sensing something was weird , Cass asked without thinking, "Jere, are you okay? Something's up. I can see it."

"No!" he shouted, his fingers running through his messy hair, and said, "I mean I'm alright."

His expression was just indescribable. Cass had never seen him like that. Feeling that she shouldn't push him, Cass just said, "Okay...... If there's anything, I must be the first person to know okay?".

"Of course Cassie!" he replied with his typical easy-going tone, and just like that, everything seemed normal again. Like nothing weird just happened.

That hour before Cass headed home went by real quick. Cass updated him about everything that just happened: the anonymous post, Jackson standing up for her, the message she got and things going on with Zoe.

"Woah....... everything seems so tough! And who the shit is anonyjucicles???" he sort of demanded.

"I don't know......," Cass said.

"Don't worry Cassie, I'll help," Jere said and put his arm around her.

"You don't even know what's exactly happening in our school though," Cass said matter of factly.

"Well, you're talking about your best friend here so obviously I have my ways," he replied, giving her a smile, revealing his one sided dimple.

"What on earth? Since when am I so observant on Jere's features...?" Cass thought but quickly tried to push it away.

"Thanks, you're the best,"she said.