The Pain of Separation (On Hold)

Chapter 3

Late nights were definitely Brad's thing, not Cassie's. She could here his music pumping from his room late into the night. She lay with her back to the door and tried to block out the noise, but it still managed to seep through. She had been considering going and telling him to turn it down for the last two hours and still hadn't come to a conclusion. She had kept thinking to herself, he'll turn it off soon, but now it had gone to far.

Cassie dragged herself out of bed and yanked the door open. The moment she stepped out into the hall, the music got louder. She marched across to Brad's door, knocked once and threw it open so that it crashed against the wall.

The room she entered was nothing like the room it use to be.

Dark, disgusting posters covered the walls. Clothes were all over the floor. The music was coming from a speaker set into which was plugged an Ipod. Brad was kneeling on the ground, shirtless, trying to prop his TV monitor up on the desk and hook it all up. He didn't even realize that Cassie had entered the room.

Cassie tried not to look horrified as she glanced around and she walked over to the speakers and turned the music down to a whisper. Brad spun around and Cassie placed her hands on her hips. “Lights out.”

“Thanks Mum.” Brad stood up and walked toward her. The closer he got the more conscious Cassie was that she was standing there in a singlet top and PJ pants and that Brad was not wearing an upper piece of clothing. She moved her hands from her hips to cross across her chest. She felt a little better.

“Why are you still up?”

“I sleep during the day. It's not even that late.”

“Well it is for me so you better hit the pillow.”

“Whatever. You can't tell me what to do.”

Cassie sighed, exasperated. She was going to make him go to bed if she had to drag him.

“Look, I don't care what you think. You are going to go to bed or you will seriously regret ever coming here.”

Brad's eyebrows went up and he muttered under his breathe, “I already do.”

The look he received from Cassie for that comment had him promising to be under the covers in five minutes and Cassie made her dignified exit.

She snuggled back under her covers and prepared for a good rest-of-the-night sleep.

A loud snoring erupted from the room across the hall and Cassie's fists clenched.

Brad was a jerk.

Cassie was greeted with silence when she woke the next morning. She glanced at her clock and was shock to discover that is was eleven. She was an early night and early morning person and eleven was pushing it. Even for Sundays.

She wondered why her mum hadn't woken her until she arrived at the kitchen table and found a note in mum's handwriting.

Gone into work urgently. Should be back by lunch. Kitty called so please call her back.

Cassie stuffed the note in the bin. Her mum would be back in about two hours. Hopefully Brad wouldn't wake up during that time so she could have the house to herself. She stuck some bread in the toaster and dialled Kitty's number. Her voice could barely be heard when she picked up because of the loud music pumped through the phone. Cassie thought instantly of Brad. She mentally slapped herself and holding the phone away from her ears, she called back.

“Kitty? What are you doing?”

“CLEANING!” Kitty screamed from the other end and Cassie was glad she was keeping her distance from the receiver.

“Well, if you want to have a civilized conversation, turn the music off!”

The volume of the music on the other end went suddenly from deafening to barely a whisper. Kitty called back through the phone, panting like she had just run a marathon. "Hey Hey!"

“Cleaning? Why are you panting and what's with the music? Are you trying to deafen me?”

“I was cleaning my room and I've been carrying bags of junk up and down the stairs for the last hour! You wouldn't believe how much stuff I have in here!”

“I think I could guess. So why'd you called?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to do something. Your mum said you were still asleep! When did you wake up?”

“Five minutes ago.”

“Seriously? Were you at a party or something last night?”

“Nope. Worst. My cousin is visiting and he likes his music about as loud and late as you.”

“No way! Is he hot?”

“Kitty!”

Kitty laughed and Cassie blushed, glad that no one was around to see. She organised to met Kitty at the park down the road with Brad, if she could get him up, so she could introduce them. She wasn't sure that Brad would want to but it wasn't like he had a choice.

She hung up the phone and stumbled back up the stairs to wake Brad. He would come and met Kitty as she requested or he would suffer the consequences.

She didn't even bother to knock. The room looked the same as last night except that Brad was now sprawled out on the bed, snoring, realistically this time though only a little lower in volume.

Cassie stood beside the bed and stared down at him. He would look angelic and peaceful if it weren't for the gaping mouth and noise that came out of it. Still, he did look sort of cute in a jerk-whos-not-being-a-jerk way. His hair was ruffled from sleep and his tanned back was in full view for Cassie to admire.

Cassie shook herself out of her daze and took aim. With a mighty 'THUD' she kicked him hard in the shin, Brad receiving it with a strangled groan.

“Get up!”