Elle

Chapter 4

I walked down to the living room, and I see Cassie.

Cassie and I became friends Hiding in the bathroom of Samuel F. Smith Memorial Middle School, to be exact. It was December of sixth grade and I headed to the bathroom, planning to crouch up on a toilet through all of homeroom if I had to. It didn't occur to me that someone else might have the same idea when I banged hard on the door to the last stall.

"Ow!" came a yelp when the not-locked door swung back and banged into someone. "What the hell!"

"Oh, sorry." My face flushed. "I didn't see any feet."

"Yeah, that's kind of the whole point." The girl sounded pissed. When she finally opened the door, I could see her. Cassie—the new girl, or newish girl—was squatting up on the toilet, fully clothed, just like I had planned on doing myself. She stared at me for a minute, then rolled her eyes as she shifted to the side, freeing up some of the seat for me. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on. Before someone sees you."

Cassie and I knew of each other—our school wasn't that big—but we weren't friends. Cassie still didn't really have any friends. And I felt bad about the way some kids picked on her. It was her snug sweatpants or her short knotted curls or the fact that she was bigger than the other girls—both her boobs and her belly.She might have single-handedly made our soccer team decent for the first time that fall, but all they cared about was that she didn't look the part. But it wasn't like I could be Cassie's defender or something. Especially not anymore. I was barely hanging on myself.

"So what brings you to the bowl of shame?" Cassie asked once our knees were touching over the open water of the toilet.

There was no way I was going to tell her anything. Except then suddenly, all I wanted was to tell her everything.

"All my friends hate me," I began. "And they're all in my homeroom."

"Why do they hate you?" Cassie asked. I was glad she hadn't tried to talk me out of it straight off the bat. People love to talk you out of your bad feelings. Instead, she just seemed curious. "What happened?"

And so I told her all about how Maia, Stephanie, Karen, and I had been a foursome since we were eight years old, but lately it had felt like the rest of them were in on some joke that was mostly about me. I'd still been hoping it was my imagination, though, but it wasn't . "So you know how Maia's mother work at the office, yeah so-I went in there to give her a note and guess what I see, her on her knees in front of the principal." I say getting disgusted by my own words.

"Oh god, that's disgusting, did they see you?" Cassie raises her eyebrows.

"No. Lucky" I say in a result of us laughing.

"My basketball coach showed me his stuff yesterday. You know, Mr. Pritzer. He drove me home after practice and then he just whipped it out. And more unfortunately, he's also my homeroom teacher."

And she said it like her getting flashed wasn't so terrible either, just kind of unfortunate.

"Oh," I said, because I couldn't think of what else to say. It made me so embarrassed just imagining Mr. Pritzer doing that. "Ew."

"Yeah, ew." Cassie frowned and nodded. Now she looked sad.

"Did you tell your parents?"

"My mom won't believe me." Cassie shrugged. "That's what happens when you lie a lot."

"I believe you," I said. And I did.

"Thanks." Cassie smiled. "And I'm sorry you lost all your friends." She nodded, pressing her lips together. "Good thing you've got a new one now."
•••
"Samantha!" She said with a big smile on her face. She runs over to me giving me a big hug.

"What's wrong?" She asks as she lets go and looking in to my puffy red eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I missed her-so much. Maybe she would understand what I have been through in the past 3 hours. And just like the first time we met,I wanted to tell her everything. Cassie is really,the only person in my life I trust and it has been that way since we met. Not only is Cassie good at sports, she also have a passion for writing. She writes stories for the school newspaper.

We went up to my room and we laid down on my bed. "So, what's wrong?" She asks
"so umm, later on today my mom told me to go to Walgreens and get some food. Well you see, when I walked out I saw a man,turns out He was a pretend cop and I didn't know at the time so,my dumb ass believed him and....he, he .. raped me." I said

"Oh my god, what did your mom and dad say."

"Nothing much, they didn't believed me."

"Oh.." she said putting her arm around my shoulder. "It's okay some people are just ass holes."  I shrugged.

" why are you recording?" I point to her phone as I use my other hand to wipe the tears away with my sleeve.

"Oh I didn't even realize." She said half smiling. I scrunch my face up in disbelieving. Even though I believe and trust Cassie in all things, but today was something different, this time something doesn't feel right."What do you mean? So you don't know how to control your phone now?" I chuckle

"No Samantha! it was on accident, JEEZS." She sucks her teeth.

"Then delete it." I got up crossing my arms.

We had a stare off for 3 minutes.

"No." She finally speaks.

"Why?" I say getting a little mad.
"Because, we have school in like a month and I don't have a story for the news paper and this-"

"What the hell cassie. This is about MY personal life. You told me you wouldn't interfere with that."
"I know what I said, but fuck what do you want me to write about and plus it's nothing bad-"

"It's nothing bad? Cassie I'm not trying to start the year off by getting made fun-"

"No one will make fun of you, I swear. They would feel sorry for you."

"And what, give me money?"

She rolls her eyes.

"You're lucky you got some dick."

I just stood there as I looked at her in disgust.
"It's my phone anyways" she mumbles really soft, but I stilled heard her.

"Fine then, be like that." I say trying so hard not to cry.

The room was filled with silent and tension. As I stood there,looking at my, what I called for years, 'best friend', is now selling me out for a stupid newspaper.

I studied every movement she made,then all a sudden, I saw a tear leave her eye falling down on to her face. She wipes it away very fast.

Minutes later,she pushes by me and exits, just like that- nothing being said.

Aww,poor Samantha. Not only that she got raped, but she lost her best friend, in just one day.

Do you think Cassie would publish Samantha's story to the whole school.

If y'all would like, you can make me a cover for my book and send it to me and I might just make it my new cover 😉😘

I will update when I get the chance.

Love you

  More soon••
       Dazzingthoughts 🥀