GIRLS LIKE GIRLS

chapter twenty-two.

july 6, 1989. sunday.

   CASS SAT ON HER BED, CLUTCHING the necklace she had found two days ago in the neibolt house. she still couldn't believe it didn't disappear as soon as she left the house, but here she was, holding it on a late summer night. cass didn't even bother to check the time,
but she knew it had to be at least eleven pm.

even though lilly frayser was in jail, she had still managed to follow cass all the way to derry.

a loud knock on her door snapped her out of her train of thought, and cass called "come in!" danny entered her room wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants, and a worried look on his face. he sat down next to her on her bed, and cass clutched the necklace harder in her fist.

"whats wrong?"

"nothing, dan," cass replied, and her cousin shook his head.

"you're a terrible liar." cass rolled her eyes and leaned onto dannys shoulder.

"i, um, i talked to sonia kaspbrak the other day," cass starter, and danny looked at her confused. "she said she was friends with my mom." cass forced back tears, willing herself not to cry.

not this time.

"my mom used to call her and complain danny. she used to say how terrible it was to have a gay daughter. she told that horrid woman about sending me to the hospital, and, and sonia said it was a good idea. that she would have sent me, too," cass finished, and danny shook his head.

"she's a bitch, and shes sort of psycho. she sticks eddie in the hospital for the dumbest things, she's sick in the head, so she tries to make eddie sick, too." cass looked up at her cousin, confused at how he knew so much.

"how do you know all of that?"

"i work part time at mister keenes store. he told me all about it."

"oh," cass muttered, feeling utterly horrible for eddie.

"are you sure thats all you're upset about?"

"yeah," cass lied through her teeth, and danny wrapped an arm around her. cass fought off the urge to tell danny everything. from the first night in the meadow, to friday at the neibolt house, but she didn't.

she couldn't.

"how are you and bev?" cass tensed up.

"you know about us?"

"these walls are thin, cassie. i hear the things you say to each other," danny shrugged. "have you said the 'l' word yet?"

"n-no. we haven't," cass stuttered out.

"well you should. i can tell you love her, and i'm sure she loves you too." cass stayed silent after that. so did danny. soon, the older boy got up and left, leaving cass alone with her thoughts.

july 7, 1989. monday.

  CASS KNOCKED FOUR TIMES ON the kaspbraks' door, holding flowers and a bag of skittles, eddies favorite. she had waited outside eddies house for almost an hour before misses kaspbrak got into her car and drove to work. thats when cass had run up to the door.