Love Has No Labels (BWWM) ✔

Chapter 21: Love Has No Labels

March 2006

Angie walked up the stairs, on her way up to check on her distressed daughter, Cassandra a few days after her suicide attempt by overdose of valium, caused by vicious physical and verbal bullying by an awful girl and her posse. Doctors had to give her an antidote of flumazenil to save her, as well as a gastric lavage. She felt so discouraged these last couple of days because couldn't fathom how kids these days could be so evil to each other. She often wondered why it had to be her daughter they chose for cruelty.

Angie wasn't the only one that felt like this. Charles was very upset at this situation. He blew a gasket at the bully the day after Cassie's suicide attempt, when she just wouldn't let up, calling Cassie a drug addict and a loser. Charles completely lost his composure and almost choked the life out of her, until a friend of Cassie's had to hold him back. He was the same person who found Cassie unresponsive on the bathroom floor, called the ambulance, and stayed with her until Angie and Austin came to the hospital.

They were quite disapproving of him before this whole ordeal happened, with his huge shoulder tattoo and his rebel attitude. But it's what's on the inside that counts, and she was eternally grateful for him, because it was because of him that her daughter was still alive today. Cheyenne had come all the way from the Bronx, in the middle of a leadership meeting to be with Cassie. All the extended family members reached out to Angie and Austin by telephone or coming to Cassie's bedside to talk to her.

It went a long way for Austin; he was tremendously depressed at the fact that his daughter, a Daddy's girl, nearly slipped out of his life, as well as bringing back heartbreaking memories of the attempted suicide of his older brother Chris. He was so shaken, that he relasped and almost lit up his first cigarette in nearly 24 years since quitting cold turkey when he became enamored with Angie, as she was never a smoker. He stopped himself though, because he wouldn't want Cassie to see him like this, all weak and hopeless. He was her father, he had to stay strong for her. He would go to his parents' place all the way in uptown Manhattan to let out his tears of sadness, anger, and frustration, thinking that he couldn't cry in front of his immediate family. But Angie would tell him that he could let it out in front of her. And he did.

Angie was in front of the room Cassie shared with Cheyenne for the time being. Angie mentally lamented about the fact that she should have known that something serious was going on with Cassie with the grades on her report card on the decline, straight 70s all across the board, which was very unusual on her part because she was a very bright student, bringing home good grades every marking period. Now it all added up. Her mind was focused on her fear of the bully instead of her school work. And Angie made it her mission to do something about this, and make sure that they wouldn't bother her again. But now, she had to comfort Cassie first.

She opened the door and peeked inside to see Cassie in her bunny pajamas sitting on her bed cross legged, watching reruns of "That's So Raven" on the Disney Channel. She was eating a bowl of potato chips, which was a promising sign, because she was eating something, a major difference between not eating for several days. Angie took a deep breath before saying,

"Cassie, you mind if I come in here?"

"Sure, Mom," Cassie replied.

Angie walked in and sat down on the bed next to Cassie, watching the television with her. She felt her heart flutter as she heard Cassie giggle at a funny scene, the first time she had heard Cassie laugh in several days. When the show went to commercial, Angie took this time to talk with Cassie.

"How're you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Mom," Cassie replied. "You don't have to worry about me."