Words Unspoken ✔️

Chapter 4: Basketball Tryouts

Baby, baby, baby

From the day I saw you

Really, really wanted to catch your eye

Somethin' special 'bout you

I must really like you

'Cause not a lot of guys are worth my time, ooh

Alicia Keys-You Don't Know My Name

November 2005

Cassie sighed as she closed her gym locker room door. She was eager to go home to study for her big Trig exam tomorrow. That meant no sleep tonight. Great. The past two months had been nothing but stressful. She was having tests, projects, and quizzes almost back to back, which was very overwhelming. Cassie mentally kicked herself for being so cavalier and not heeding Cheyenne's warnings that junior year of high school was going to be hard. But Cheyenne made it look so easy. She was such a whiz kid, always bringing home good grades, and always in high spirits. Cassie was almost the complete opposite. She dreaded coming to school, it was always a battle to bring home good grades, much to the chagrin of her dear mother and father, and she wasn't in good spirits while at home.

It was because she had an unpleasant and pleasant distraction at the same time. The unpleasant distraction being Simone and her cheerleader as monkeys on her back. These past two months, Cassie never ate lunch. She always would spend her lunch periods hiding in the library to save herself from Simone, while literally running for her life to her separate classes. She couldn't handle the bullying from her, so this was for the best.

However, she would always find solace in her pleasant distraction, Drew. She would always ride the train home with him every afternoon, sometimes on the way to school. She never thought that she would feel comfortable with a moody, tattooed guy like him. It was almost like he understood where she was coming from, and would always give words of encouragement to go through her days.

For some reason, they shared the same interests, and would even make each other laugh. Only her immediate family had the ability to do so, and for some reason, she had the ability to make Drew chuckle a little. She felt some sort of connection between her and Drew that was completely unexplainable. She then wondered how it would be like if she and Drew were more than friends, she would actually feel beautiful and wanted. But she wouldn't hold her breath.

She grabbed her bag from off the floor and made her way out of the locker room, only to find Simone and Ashley conversing with one another. Cassie felt her heart stop at this, dreading what would be inevitable. She desperately tried to slip away before they took one look at her. She failed miserably, as her heart sank while her stomach cramped with anxiety at the sound of her name being called by the devil herself. She tried to ignore her desperately by walking by them. Much to her horror, she heard running footsteps towards her. She felt her arm whirling herself around to face them.

"Didn't you hear us call you?" Simone asked, with a fake smile.

"What do you want now?" Cassie retorted.

"We just want to know how you been," Ashley replied, while Simone smirked. "You haven't been at lunch since last month."

"It's none of your business where I am."

"Hmm, that's a shame," Simone spoke up, faking a pitying tone. "You're getting a little too skinny."

With that, the pair broke into the ugliest laughter that Cassie had ever heard. Cassie tried her very best not to burst into tears.

"Lookin like a frickin' broomstick," Ashley snickered.

The pair continued on with their laughter, while Cassie looked down at the ground, her lips curling and fists tightening. Ashley noticed this and said,